Original
Who Is Accountable? How Citizens Attribute Success and Failure in Cross‐Sector Collaborations
Abstract
ABSTRACT Cross‐sector collaborations bring together organizations with different values, missions, and goals to achieve shared outcomes. However, how accountability is attributed across sectors remains unclear, particularly given the potential influence of sector bias on citizen perceptions. Recent research suggests that clear information can mitigate such bias. Using a pre‐registered 3 × 2 between‐subjects experiment ( N = 1515), we examine whether information cues about sector contributions (leading vs. non‐leading sector) and performance outcome (success vs. failure) shape perceptions of accountability. Additionally, we assess whether the public sector is held more accountable for failures when leading the collaboration, compared to the private or nonprofit sectors. Consistent with blame attribution theory, citizens attribute accountability for both success and failure primarily to the leading sector. We find no evidence that the public sector is disproportionately blamed. These findings suggest that information on sector contribution, rather than inherent sector bias, plays a crucial role in shaping accountability perceptions.
中文
谁应被问责？公民如何归因跨部门合作中的成功与失败
摘要
摘要 跨部门合作将拥有不同价值观、使命和目标的组织聚集在一起，以实现共同成果。然而，跨部门之间的问责归属仍不明确，尤其是考虑到部门偏见可能影响公民认知。近期研究表明，清晰的信息可以缓解此类偏见。我们使用一项预注册的3×2被试间实验（N=1515），考察关于部门贡献的信息线索（主导部门与非主导部门）和绩效结果（成功与失败）是否会塑造问责认知。此外，我们评估当公共部门主导合作时，相比私营部门或非营利部门，公众是否更可能将失败归咎于公共部门。与责备归因理论一致，公民主要将成功和失败的责任归于主导部门。我们未发现公共部门被不成比例地责备的证据。这些发现表明，关于部门贡献的信息，而非固有的部门偏见，在塑造问责认知方面发挥关键作用。
关键词
跨部门合作、问责、责任归因、部门偏见、公共部门、实验研究