Definition:
Compliance burden refers to the cumulative effort required to meet administrative, procedural, or behavioural requirements imposed by a system.
Usage Context:
Common in welfare systems, disability assessments, workplace reporting, immigration processes, and digital platform usage.
Critical Note:
Compliance burden is rarely distributed evenly. It disproportionately affects disabled, neurodivergent, or economically vulnerable people, turning access into endurance tests rather than rights.
Related Terms:
Administrative Burden, Attrition by Design, Bureaucratic Exhaustion, Compliance Framing, Risk Transfer