Social Identity and Cooperative Behavior by Public Administrators

• Published date: 01 July 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231162529
• Author: Jill Nicholson-Crotty,Sean Nicholson-Crotty,Danyao Li
• Date: 01 July 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231162529

Administration & Society

2023, Vol. 55(6) 1118 –1143

© The Author(s) 2023

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00953997231162529

journals.sagepub.com/home/aas

Article

Social Identity and

Cooperative Behavior by

Public Administrators

Jill Nicholson-Crotty1, Sean Nicholson-Crotty1,

and Danyao Li2

Abstract

Scholars suggest that coproduction may exacerbate inequity in the delivery

of services because citizens with high need may have fewer resources

to commit to the process. We explore whether differences between

administrators and citizens might also contribute to such inequities. We

use Social Identity Theory to develop the expectation that administrators

may have a greater affinity for and are more willing to work with in-group

members in the coproduction of public services. Evidence from a survey

experiment with approximately 200 public administrators demonstrates

that racial congruence increases the likelihood of cooperative behavior

indirectly through its impact on sympathy for a partner. The results do not

suggest a direct impact for shared identity on cooperative behavior.

Keywords

coproduction, social identity, racial congruence, behavioral public

administration

For decades, scholars have been interested in the coproduction of public

goods and services by administrative professionals and citizens. A large body

of research has worked to create taxonomies of coproduction types and link

1Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

2University of Southern California, USA

Corresponding Author:

Sean Nicholson-Crotty, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana

University, 1315 E. 10th #410G, Bloomington, 47405 IN, USA.

Email: seanicho@indiana.edu

1162529AAS0010.1177/00953997231162529Administration & SocietyNicholson-Crotty et al.

research-article2023

Nicholson-Crotty et al. 1119

these activities to organizational performance. This work suggests that, under

the right circumstances, government can be more effective when administra-

tors and citizens work together in the production of public services (e.g.,

Bovaird & Downe, 2008; Jakobsen & Andersen, 2013; Vamstad, 2012; Yang

& Pandey, 2011) .

There is also concern, however, that coproduction may exacerbate exist-

ing disparities in the delivery of public services (e.g., Warren et al., 1984).

Previous research has demonstrated that inequities might arise because some

groups have more time and resources to devote to improving the public ser-

vices they consume (e.g., Rosentraub & Sharp, 1981; Van Ryzin, 2011;

Williams et al., 2016), but this study takes another approach, exploring the

degree to which similarities between administrators and citizens might con-

tribute to inequities associated with coproduction. Given the longstanding

recognition that administrator preferences can have a significant influence on

the level and intensity of coproduction, surprisingly few studies have investi-

gated how differences between administrators and citizens may contribute to

the relationship between coproduction and inequity.

Social Identity Theory (SIT) offers considerable reason to believe that

they might. SIT posits that individual are likely to divide the world into in-

group (those that share their characteristics) and out-group (those that do not)

members and provides evidence that shared group identity leads to positive

affect and prosocial behavior (e.g., Dasgupta, 2004; Kinder & Kam, 2010;

LeVine & Campbell, 1972; Mullen et al., 1992; Perdue et al., 1990; Tajfel et

al., 1971). This body of work would suggest that administrators may have a

greater affinity for, and therefore, be more willing to cooperate with citizens

that look like them in the coproduction of public services (e.g., Bowles &

Gintis, 2004; Hornstein, 1976; Mifune et al., 2010).

To test that expectation, we adapt a previously validated experiment test-

ing for the antecedents of cooperative behavior by adding a manipulation that

creates racial congruence or incongruence between subjects and a hypotheti-

cal partner. We field the experiment in a pool of approximately 200 public

administrators each. Results demonstrate that racial congruence significantly

influences administrators’ sympathy for and, indirectly, their willingness to

cooperate with a citizen partner. We believe the results have significant impli-

cations for scholarship on equity and coproduction, as well as practical appli-

cations related to designing and incentivizing coproduction regimes.

The rest of the paper proceeds as follows: first, we conduct a brief litera-

ture review on coproduction as the backdrop of this study, arguing that impor-

tant questions remain regarding the impact of administrator preferences on

inequities arising from the coproduction process. Next, we draw on Social

Identity Theory to develop the expectation about public administrators’