Original
Anti-corruption efforts and citizen-initiated accountability: evidence from administrative litigation
Abstract
Abstract Despite widespread recognition that institutional environment shapes citizen behavior, we have limited understanding of how anti-corruption efforts influence citizens’ willingness to challenge government actions through formal accountability mechanisms. This study examines how provincial leaders’ corruption convictions affect citizen-initiated administrative litigation in China, exploring the mediating role of judicial remedies and the moderating effect of local corruption environments. Drawing on comprehensive data including over 1.25 million judicial documents and corruption prosecutions, we find that provincial leaders’ corruption convictions significantly increase citizen accountability actions, with this effect mediated by enhanced judicial remedies. However, this direct relationship is substantially weakened when local corruption levels are higher. These findings reveal that anti-corruption efforts can catalyze citizen engagement with accountability institutions, but their effectiveness depends critically on the broader institutional context. This research advances public administration literature by revealing how anti-corruption efforts and judicial review function as institutional mechanisms that activate citizen-initiated legal accountability, reshaping incentive structures for citizen participation in government accountability.
中文
反腐败努力与公民发起的问责：来自行政诉讼的证据
摘要
尽管人们普遍认识到制度环境塑造公民行为，但我们对反腐败努力如何影响公民通过正式问责机制挑战政府行为的意愿仍了解有限。本研究考察中国省级领导人的腐败定罪如何影响公民发起的行政诉讼，并探讨司法救济的中介作用与地方腐败环境的调节效应。基于包括超过125万份司法文书和腐败起诉在内的综合数据，我们发现，省级领导人的腐败定罪显著增加了公民问责行动，这一效应由司法救济的增强所中介。然而，当地方腐败水平较高时，这一直接关系被大幅削弱。这些发现表明，反腐败努力能够催化公民参与问责制度，但其有效性关键取决于更广泛的制度背景。本研究通过揭示反腐败努力与司法审查如何作为激活公民发起法律问责的制度机制发挥作用，并重塑公民参与政府问责的激励结构，推进了公共行政文献。
关键词
反腐败、公民发起问责、行政诉讼、司法救济、地方腐败环境、省级领导人、中国、制度环境