Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner (UVA) will present, "Democratizing bureaucracy: How can citizens demand accountability from unelected officials?"
Abstract:
How can citizens demand better public services where resources are scarce and democratic representation is limited? A common strategy is to turn to unelected officials, who are critical gatekeepers in the distribution of resources and policy implementation. Yet these officials are not formally answerable to citizens and often work under heavy capacity constraints. We explore citizen-led efforts to demand accountability, combining qualitative research with a survey of personnel in a near census of administrative blocks in Jharkhand - one of India's poorest states. We theorize two potentially impactful strategies: personal testimony to evoke empathy, and publicity to activate officials' reputational concerns. Embedded video and vignette experiments reveal that exposure to citizen testimony increases officials' attention but does not lead to action, while threats of social media exposure increase their willingness to act. These findings illuminate how ordinary citizens can deploy different strategies to advance different dimensions of bureaucratic responsiveness.
- Political Science