Polihot

PAR — 2026-03-06 Original Time Matters: Under/Overperformance Duration and Performance Improvements in the Public Sector Shaowei Chen, Jianxia Wu Abstract ABSTRACT Prior research on public organizations' strategic responses to performance feedback has focused solely on the intensity of performance feedback while neglecting its temporal dimensions. This study aims to fill this gap by incorporating the lens of time and investigating how performance feedback duration affects performance improvements in the public sector. Drawing on various theoretical perspectives, we theorize an inverted U‐shaped relationship between underperformance (negative performance feedback) duration and public organizations' subsequent performance improvements, and a U‐shaped relationship for overperformance (positive performance feedback) duration. Empirical analyses using the case of China's official city air quality ranking provide evidence supporting our theory. Our findings reveal that “time” (duration) can shape public organizations' responses to performance feedback in nonlinear ways and help reconcile inconsistencies in the existing literature, highlighting the importance of incorporating temporal dimensions of performance to advance performance feedback theory in the public sector.

JCC — pp. 1-20 2026-03-06 Original Serve the People: Public Service Information and Communication Strategies of Local Governments in China Jianjun Yu, Shuyuan Shen Abstract While ideological propaganda remains central to Chinese political communication, public service information is a vital yet underexamined component. We argue that public service information enhances service visibility, strengthens government credibility, and fosters affective proximity between local authorities and citizens, boosting government satisfaction and conferring greater legitimacy. Its practical utility also attracts a broader audience and increases engagement with government accounts. Combining a survey experiment and computational analysis of over one million articles from local governments’ WeChat accounts, we find that public service information increases citizens’ support for local governments and draws readers to both government accounts and ideological propaganda. These findings underscore the significance of public service information in legitimation and audience acquisition, warranting greater scholarly attention to public service information in China.

APSR — pp. 1-15 2026-03-06 Original Reconfiguring the Global Color Line: The Paradoxical Discourse of Race in Zou Rong’s Revolutionary Army

JOP — 2026-03-06 Original Political Economy of Information Provision Arda Gitmez, Konstantin Sonin, Austin L. Wright Abstract （原文未提供摘要） 中文 信息提供的政治经济学 Arda Gitmez, Konstantin Sonin, Austin L. Wright

PSJ 54/3 2026-03-06 Original Education and the Unequal Costs of Voting: Administrative Burdens and Democratic Participation Cameron J. Arnzen Abstract ABSTRACT Administrative burdens are an inherent feature of citizen–state interactions, shaping who can access public programs and exercise fundamental rights. These burdens are not distributed evenly; instead, they tend to exacerbate inequality by imposing disproportionate costs on individuals with fewer resources or skills. Given that some administrative burdens exacerbate complexity, this paper investigates an understudied dimension upon which burdens may have disproportionate impacts: education. Using the case of U.S. elections, this paper explores how administrative burdens interact with education to shape democratic participation. Drawing on validated voter data from the Cooperative Election Study (2008–2024) linked with the Cost of Voting Index, I show that increases in the administrative complexity of voting disproportionately deter participation among individuals with less education. By highlighting education as a critical but understudied dimension of inequality in navigating burdens, this study demonstrates how the design of onerous public policies, such as election laws, can systematically advantage some citizens over others.

AJPS — 2026-03-05 Original The declarations of independents: Open‐ended survey responses and the nature of non‐identification

AJPS — 2026-03-05 Original Politics transformed? Electoral competition under ranked choice voting Peter Buisseret, Carlo Prato Abstract Abstract We compare multicandidate elections under plurality rule versus ranked choice voting (RCV). We examine a widely held presumption that RCV more effectively incentivizes candidates to pursue broad campaigns that can appeal to all voters, rather than targeting a narrow segment of the electorate. That presumption is correct when preference transfers are competitive, that is, when multiple candidates have a reasonable chance of securing voters' second‐choice support. However, when transfers are uncompetitive due to partisan, ethnic, or cultural alignments, that presumption is reversed: RCV can strengthen candidates' incentives to pursue targeted campaigns.

CQ 265 pp. 218-234 2026-03-05 Original “I Wish I Looked More Chinese”: Contemporary (Re)encounters with “Race” and Racialization for Chileans of Chinese Descent

AJPS — 2026-03-04 Original The economic foundations of powersharing: Evidence from Africa Yannick I. Pengl, Philip Roessler Abstract Abstract How—and with whom—do rulers share power? Existing research focuses on the strategic logic of powersharing. In this paper, we analyze its economic foundations. Powersharing is modeled as a subnational fiscal contract, in which rulers allocate political representation based on constituencies’ revenue potential. Empirically, we combine historical geospatial data on different types of primary commodity production—mineral point resources and diffuse smallholder cash crop agriculture—with the ethnic affiliation of cabinet ministers across 15 African countries. We find that cash crop groups are overrepresented in post‐independence cabinets, while mining or food crop production does not translate into higher shares of power. Consistent with a revenue bargaining framework, we find that rulers traded political representation and targeted public services for indirect taxation of cash crops. Overall, this suggests powersharing serves not only as a means to distribute resources and co‐opt potential challengers but also to expand the pie and the rents at the ruler's disposal.

AJPS — 2026-03-04 Original Mitigating policy uncertainty: What financial markets reveal about firm‐level lobbying