Does leadership gender representativeness improve policy outcomes? Evidence from local governments in China

Numerous studies have delved into the intricate dynamics of representative bureaucracy in public service provision, yet a significant gap exists in our understanding of the distinctions between top leaders and members of the top management team (TMT). Using the panel data of 317 subdistricts in Beijing, this research revealed that top female leaders have stronger influences on public service delivery than female TMT members. Top female leaders handle citizens' complaints better than their male counterparts, while the effect of TMT gender representation is nonsignificant. This research underscores the imperative need to differentiate between the representative roles of top leaders and TMT members, thereby revealing nuanced effects in the realm of gender representation.

© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

公共管理學深入探討了代表性官僚理論的複雜動態，但是已有研究對最高領導和高層管理團隊成員之間的區別關注不足。本研究使用北京市317個街道和鄉鎮的面板資料，發現相對於高層管理團隊成員的女性代表性，最高領導的性別對公共服務提供結果的影響更大。女性高層領導比男性高層領導更善於處理市民投訴，而高層管理團隊的女性代表性對公共服務投訴處理效果的影響並不顯著。研究結果為區分代表性官僚在最高領導和高層管理團隊中的差異化作用提供了理論基礎，並揭示了代表性官僚理論的微妙影響。