The idea of symbolic representation suggests bureaucratic representativeness can enhance citizens’ willingness to coproduce public services, though this effect is not always observed in real settings. While scholars have explored boundary conditions for limited effects of symbolic representation on coproduction, they typically assume fully staffed bureaucracies. How personnel status variations within representative bureaucracy affect represented citizens’ perceptions and their willingness to engage in coproduction is still unknown. This study examines how labor shortage in representative bureaucracy may shape the effect of symbolic representation on coproduction. Using rational choice and compassion theories, it develops competing hypotheses regarding the interaction between labor shortage and symbolic representation in shaping citizen coproduction and tests them through a survey experiment in the context of female bureaucratic representation and domestic violence. The perceived labor shortage is found to mitigate the positive effect of symbolic representation on women’s coproduction willingness, but only for the simplest coproduction activity.

中文翻译：

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劳动力短缺下官僚代表的象征效应

象征性代表的概念表明，官僚代表可以提高公民共同生产公共服务的意愿，尽管这种效果并不总是在现实环境中观察到。虽然学者们已经探索了符号代表对共同生产影响有限的边界条件，但他们通常假设人员配备齐全的官僚机构。代议制官僚机构内的人事地位变化如何影响代表公民的看法和他们参与共同生产的意愿仍然未知。本研究考察了代议制官僚机构中的劳动力短缺如何塑造象征性代表对共同生产的影响。它使用理性选择和同情理论，就劳动力短缺和象征代表在塑造公民共同生产中的相互作用提出了相互竞争的假设，并通过在女性官僚代表和家庭暴力背景下的调查实验对其进行了测试。研究发现，感知到的劳动力短缺减轻了象征性代表对女性合作生产意愿的积极影响，但仅限于最简单的合作生产活动。