The Role of Easy Language in Public Sector Communication. An Exploratory Study in the Field of Social Assistance

In this paper we investigate how Easy Language (EL; see e. g Lindholm & Vanhatalo, 2021; Maaß, 2020, 88) is used to support access to social assistance (SA) in three European countries (Finland, Italy, Switzerland). The appeal of a comparison lies in the different regulations and practices of EL as part of public sector communication. Target groups for socio-economic support often struggle to access the legal and administrative information needed to apply for subsidies, facing various communication barriers (OECD, 2019; Rink, 2024). In Europe, the use of EL to support administrative communication in social aid is inconsistent and generally underdeveloped (Handbook on Easy Language in Europe, 2021). For this reason, we have chosen an exploratory approach for this study (cfr. Stebbins, 2001) with the aim of investigating the use of EL in real-world settings, particularly within public administration contexts. The data of the study consist of 11 semi-structured interviews with people responsible for implementing and using EL at a strategic and practical level as well as EL materials collected from SA related public webpages. Regardless of how much EL is currently used in the context of SA, all interviewed personnel expressed a positive attitude towards EL. This is the case throughout the continuum from not yet existing EL in the practice of SA (Italy) to project-based approach (Switzerland) and well established EL procedures (Finland). The lack of EL expertise is a reoccurring theme, and even when EL is used systematically (Finland), the concentration of expertise in the hands of a few individuals is seen as a vulnerability in EL processes. The study also brought into discussion the complexity of the use of EL and the difficulties in researching and comparing real-world settings.