Accountability and High‐Effort Coping Strategies of Public Employees: Evidence From a Survey Experiment in China
通过1244名中国公职人员的调查实验，发现学习导向的问责反而降低高努力应对意愿，层级问责也未能促进该策略，挑战了传统认知。
ABSTRACT Using a survey experiment approach, we collected responses from 1244 public employees in a Chinese context. This study examines how two types of accountability obligations (horizontal and hierarchical) and two accountability orientations (learning and control) influence public employees' adoption of high‐effort coping strategies. The findings reveal that, contrary to conventional expectations, a learning orientation is associated with a decreased intention among public employees to adopt high‐effort coping strategies, likely due to the political risks involved. Additionally, our study shows that hierarchical obligation does not facilitate the adoption of high‐effort coping strategies, even in a context that emphasizes obedience and hierarchy. This research contributes to governance and policy studies by providing insights into the relationship between accountability and the high‐effort coping strategies of public employees.