Failing accountability: exploring the effect of coproduction on public blame attribution after service failures
通过两个预注册的公共安全服务调查实验（N=1,983），发现共同生产能减少公众在服务失败后对政府的责备，尤其是涉及核心任务时，这一效应通过降低公众对政府因果责任的感知实现。
This paper investigates how coproduction influence public blame attribution for service failures. Although research highlights the accountability challenges posed by coproduction, empirical evidence remains scarce. We propose that coproduction can function as a strategy to mitigate public blame on government. Using two pre-registered survey experiments in public safety services (N = 1,983), we find that coproduction reduces public blame towards the government following service failures, especially when it involves core tasks. This effect is driven by reduced perceptions of the government’s causal responsibility, but not changes in functional responsibility. Moreover, coproduction enhances public trust in government, further mitigating blame.