Albrecht, Nora and Korac, Sanja and Saliterer, Iris and Steccolini, Ileana (2025) Responsibility, Rewards, and Sanctions for Public Service Delivery Outcomes: Citizens’ Perceptions. Public Management Review. (In Press)
Albrecht, Nora and Korac, Sanja and Saliterer, Iris and Steccolini, Ileana (2025) Responsibility, Rewards, and Sanctions for Public Service Delivery Outcomes: Citizens’ Perceptions. Public Management Review. (In Press)
Albrecht, Nora and Korac, Sanja and Saliterer, Iris and Steccolini, Ileana (2025) Responsibility, Rewards, and Sanctions for Public Service Delivery Outcomes: Citizens’ Perceptions. Public Management Review. (In Press)
Abstract
. This study examines how citizens attribute responsibility for public service outcomes and subsequently form judgements about rewards and sanctions—a theoretically acknowledged but empirically understudied two-phase process. A survey experiment (N=2,277) in Germany compares citizen perceptions of political (mayors) versus administrative (service units) actors across improving and declining service performance scenarios. Service units received consistently high responsibility attribution regardless of outcome valence, while mayoral attribution was lower but increased in positive scenarios. Citizens show stronger sanction than reward judgements for both actors. Responsibility attribution more strongly predicts sanction judgements than reward judgements, with the latter being more influenced by individual predispositions.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | responsibility attribution, citizen perceptions, performance evaluation, public accountability, local service delivery |
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Essex Business School Faculty of Social Sciences > Essex Business School > Essex Accounting Centre |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2025 08:54 |
Last Modified: | 31 Jul 2025 08:55 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/41354 |
Available files
Filename: 2025_PMR_Mansucript_Final.docx
Embargo Date: 1 January 2100