Objective conditions, political knowledge, and perceptions of electoral competition in U.S. mayoral elections

Abstract

ObjectiveThis article investigates the extent to which perceptions of the competitive context of mayoral elections reflect actual levels of competition and how that relationship is shaped by political expertise.MethodsWe use a unique survey data set of more than 6000 respondents interviewed in 40 separate mayoral elections.ResultsIn broad strokes, people living in competitive cities are more likely than others to predict competitive outcomes. However, in keeping with the knowledge gap hypothesis, the relationship between objective levels of competition and perceived levels of competition is much stronger among those with relatively high levels of political knowledge than those with low levels of political knowledge.ConclusionsThe connection between actual and perceived conditions does not hold evenly for all segments of society—the information‐rich respond to their political environment, while the information‐poor are relatively unmoved by that environment. This pattern of asymmetric information acquisition is a familiar one in American politics and provides further evidence of an important source of political inequality.

Walking an extra mile: Determinants of organizational citizenship behavior—An exploratory study in faith‐based organizations

“…M. Podsakoff, Ahearne, and MacKenzie 1997) which is the reflection of employee's concern and trust in the organization (Hansen 2017). Though not all employees participate equally in political and apolitical activities within the firm (Holbrook, Heideman, and Weinschenk 2023), we found that employees who engage in OCBs were more inclined toward voluntary activities and were more adept in adjusting to changes within the organization (P. M. . Engaging in voluntary actions that are unpaid initiatives, done willingly, and without obligation was found to add to OCB through civic virtue.…”