Symbolic Effect of Bureaucratic Representation Under Labor Shortage

The idea of symbolic representation suggests bureaucratic representativeness can enhance citizens’ willingness to coproduce public services, though this effect is not always observed in real settings. While scholars have explored boundary conditions for limited effects of symbolic representation on coproduction, they typically assume fully staffed bureaucracies. How personnel status variations within representative bureaucracy affect represented citizens’ perceptions and their willingness to engage in coproduction is still unknown. This study examines how labor shortage in representative bureaucracy may shape the effect of symbolic representation on coproduction. Using rational choice and compassion theories, it develops competing hypotheses regarding the interaction between labor shortage and symbolic representation in shaping citizen coproduction and tests them through a survey experiment in the context of female bureaucratic representation and domestic violence. The perceived labor shortage is found to mitigate the positive effect of symbolic representation on women’s coproduction willingness, but only for the simplest coproduction activity.