行为遗传学: 行为公共管理研究的新视角与新路径

Behavioral genetics serves as the latest cross-disciplinary field between genetic science and behavioral research. Behavior genetics does not advocate for genetic determinism. Premised on the candid acknowledgement of the influence of natural factors, it discusses how the social environment interacts with genes to shape the development of individual behavior. How to make the most of behavioral genetics in the domain of behavioral public administration (PA) is a central question. This paper argues that behavioral genetics provides at least three novel perspectives for studying administrative behaviors, including 1) whether administrative behaviors are heritable, 2) how genes affect the development of certain administrative behaviors of interest, and 3) the mechanisms whereby the organizational environment interacts with genes to influence administrative behaviors. In addition, three typical behavioral genetics methods, including the twin design, genetic scores, and the Mendelian randomization method, can become add-on tools for furthering the existing behavioral public administration research. In a nutshell, incorporating the perspectives and methods of behavioral genetics into the existing behavioral public administration studies can help to reveal the micro-level underpinnings of administrative behaviors and attitudes, thus consolidating the cross integration and scientific development of the PA discipline.