Critical thoughts about critical mass in representative bureaucracy: A theoretical exploration and empirical illustration
本文理论探讨了临界质量如何将个体行为与组织环境联系起来，并提出可检验假设，最后用中国数据做了两个实证例证，对研究官僚制中少数群体影响力的学者有参考价值。
Abstract Studies of representative bureaucracy frequently reference the need for a critical mass before an underrepresented group can influence policy outputs or outcomes, but the empirical literature is modest and presents mixed findings. This article presents a theoretical exploration to illustrate how critical mass can link individual behavior to organizational contexts. By examining both active representation and symbolic representation at both the individual and organizational level and specifying the different microprocesses of active representation, a series of testable hypotheses are presented. The logic suggests that the concept of critical mass might also be a useful contextual variable to examine other aspects of administrative behavior. Based on the theory, two empirical illustrations from China are presented.