Linguistic Accessibility of Social Assistance Rights in Slovenia

TITLE: Linguistic Accessibility of Social Assistance Rights in Slovenia 

PROJECT CODE: J5-50169

PROJECT MANAGER: doc. dr. Luka Mišič

COORDINATOR: 583 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law

PROJECT PARTNERS:

• 581 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts
• 106 - Jožef Stefan Institute
• 591 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work

DURATION OF THE PROJECT: 1. 10. 2023 - 30. 9. 2026

PROJECT TEAM COMPOSITION:

583 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law:

• 38140 - dr. Luka Mišič 
• 19427 - dr. Grega Strban 
• 53958 - dr. Kristina Čufar 
• 29372 - dr. Tilen Štajnpihler Božič 
• 51937 - Marko Drobnjak 
• 53636 - Nejc Urankar 

581 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts:

• 27674 - dr. Špela Arhar Holdt 
• 53628 - Magdalena Gapsa 
• 11651 - dr. Marko Stabej 

106 - Jožef Stefan Institute:

• 31844 - dr. Senja Pollak 
• 56524 - Marko Pranjić 
• 53851 - dr. Matthew RJ Purver
• 29539 - dr. Vid Podpečan 

591 - University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work:

• 29374 - dr. Ana Marija Sobočan 

SCOPE OF FUNDING: 2,571 annual research hours in price category A for a period of 3 years (1.51 FTE)

FINANCER:

Understanding legal language is a prerequisite for active and equal participation in any democratic community. It enables individuals to know and be aware of their rights and obligations in various legally regulated areas of life, thereby becoming active legal subjects or agents. In this regard, effective access to social rights or rights under the social security system, which are laid down in several articles of the Slovenian Constitution (Article 50, which regulates the right to social security, Article 51, which regulates the right to health care, Article 52, which regulates special protection for persons with disabilities, etc.) and which are based on its central principle of a (legal and) social state (German: Sozialstaatsprinzip) set out in Article 2, enables individuals and their family members to participate actively and equally in market democracy, as it guarantees them an adequate level of public income protection and provides them with much-needed economic security in times of need.

The research project is based on the assumption that the legal language used in the field of social welfare (as a subsystem of the social security system) is too complex and unclear for the average, legally unskilled beneficiary to understand adequately, and that explanatory texts (as manifestations of normative or official language in this field) published online by the government or competent ministries are not sufficiently (or at all) simplified in a way that would enable the general population to have simple and thus effective access to a range of social rights. The same applies to official forms and the language used in social work centers or in e-supported procedures for exercising social welfare rights. The use of language and the manner of communication thus create a significant barrier to accessing rights under the social welfare system, which can increase the level of social stratification in society and the level of (unidentified) poverty and social exclusion throughout Slovenia. However, such language-related misunderstandings of rights and obligations are usually the result not only of an (intentional) lack of clear and high-quality legislation (principles and techniques of standardization that take into account the relevant methodological, structural, and linguistic criteria) by the state or government, but also a lack of a socially inclusive and proactive approach to public information or communication of specific rights and obligations or, more broadly, the rules of social security law in general.

A research group comprising lawyers, linguists, computer scientists, and social work experts will analyze the linguistic accessibility of social assistance rights in Slovenia and examine how various government entities communicate these legal rights to the broader population as potential beneficiaries of the state (the social context of law). As part of the research project, the group will produce linguistically adapted normative texts used by the government and other authorities, (computer) models for future linguistic adaptations of these texts, and socio-linguistic models for the effective dissemination of legal knowledge, and socio-linguistic guidelines on the use of language by public servants in social administrative procedures.

The project aims to directly apply the findings of linguistic sciences and social work, based on empirical, mechanical (or computer-assisted) analysis, linguistic and content analysis, and experiments to directly apply the findings of linguistic sciences and social work to the field of law or the creation and use of normative or official language, with an emphasis on social welfare (social assistance). This is used through the communication channels of the state or other regional authorities to communicate with the general public or members of the community as potential and actual bearers of legal rights (and obligations). It represents not only a synthesis of the findings of various disciplines and the result of the application of various theories and methods to the corpus of normative or official language, but also a synthesis of various theories and methods in the field of law itself, in which, alongside the core area of social security law, elements of legal theory or the theory of argumentation in law, law and language, sociology and philosophy of law, anti-discrimination law, nomotechnics or, more broadly, legal sciences related to the creation and communication of legal norms are significantly intertwined. The purpose of such a merger is also to communicate the results to the broader professional community and essential stakeholders in the field, such as ministries, social work centers, etc., which in practice deal with social security law and the sub-area of social protection, whose rights and obligations are aimed at preventing poverty and social exclusion.

Phase 1 (months 1–18) – collection of text data and linguistic evaluation:

• Objective: to collect a corpus of text data and analyze it from the perspective of linguistic accessibility.
• Activities: selection and categorization of text data, preparation of text data in a uniform computer-readable format, qualitative and quantitative linguistic analysis of linguistic complexity.
• Results: selection of available text data, prepared text data, qualitative and quantitative analyses described in the conference paper.

Phase 2 (months 6–22) – ethnographic research and creation of sample texts:

• Objective: to provide ethnographic data on the accessibility of official communication and to use the findings, together with the results of Phase 1, to produce simplified sample texts to be used in Phase 3.
• Activities: determining the type and complexity of language (normative and natural) used in the relevant work centers (oral procedure); evaluating the accessibility of language at the relevant social work centers; preparing for experimental studies on users.
• Results: report on the analysis of mechanisms and problems of inaccessibility of official communication and documents (stored in an open data repository – RUL, ADP, Zenodo); report on restrictions and barriers identified by applicants at social work centers; stored in an open data archive (RUL, ADP, or Zenodo); sample texts (for use in experimental user studies – work phase 3).

Phase 3 (months 23–36) – experimental studies on users:

• Objective: to examine the linguistic accessibility of texts dealing with social rights through an experimental user study. Based on the analyzed responses, we will develop strategies for adapting official forms and other texts that provide information on social assistance rights in Slovenia.
• Activities: design and distribution of experimental research, analysis of responses from user studies, and development of language adaptation strategies.
• Results: research data on both groups, stored in open data in an open data repository (RUL, ADP, or Zenodo); analysis of user survey data; strategies and guidelines (1 article submitted to a journal).

Phase 4 (months 1–36) – coordination and dissemination:

• Objective: effective and transparent coordination, dissemination, and communication of research results.
• Activities: project launch, general dissemination and communication; 2 organized events; scientific publications; project coordination.
• Results: Establishment and ongoing use of the project website and social media profiles; scientific conferences; scientific publications; effective and transparent project implementation.