Expert Systems and the Public Provision of Welfare Benefit Advice

At some stage during their lives most people will need information on welfare benefit entitlements and on the operation of the social security system in order to lodge a benefit claim. This article reports on the feasibility of using computers to provide benefit advice and support to the public, drawing on data from a study of potential users of a computer information system. The article concludes that expert systems technology could provide opportunities for developing welfare benefit advice systems which are easy to use and which can educate non-experts about social security administration and entitlement to wefare benefits.