Resistance or Capitulation? How Discrete Emotions Shape Citizens’ Interactions With the Administrative State

Abstract

Public administration researchers have found that unfavorable state actions can trigger negative emotions in citizens, but the behavioral consequences of these emotions have been understudied. We draw on psychological insights to predict how discrete emotional responses to unfavorable interactions with the state (specifically: administrative decisions to deny access to public benefits) will predict citizens’ coping behaviors, such as whether they voice grievances, file complaints, and seek information. We test our hypotheses using a survey of applicants of a notoriously burdensome, means-tested tuition-free college program in Oklahoma, USA. In line with our theoretical framework, we find anger increases opposition behaviors in reaction to losses of access to the program, whereas shame reduces opposition among citizens. We also find that fear increases information-seeking and resistance behaviors. The results demonstrate the role of discrete emotions in predicting state-directed citizen behaviors, but also provide the groundwork for applying the discrete emotions framework to other actors, such as public managers and street-level bureaucrats.

Examining emotional belief expressions of advocacy coalitions in Arkansas' gender identity politics

“…Durnová's (2018) scholarship on post‐factual truth shares similar conclusions, that scientists often over‐rely on facts and remove emotion from their communication which in turn creates distrust between the public and scientists. Distrust between public and government officials also increases when citizens experience negative emotions (Bell et al., 2022) and the negative emotions expressed in this case, could lead to increased distrust, especially from LGBTQ+ communities and allies. Future studies which examine emotional‐belief dyads in comparison to evidence, or non‐emotional statements are necessary for further understanding this line of inquiry.…”

“…Specifically, belief categories (policy core vs. deep core beliefs) and emotion categories (negative vs. positive) operate in an order of influence on a range of political behavior and perceptions. More specifically, policy core beliefs are expected to have a larger effect on coalition membership and policy position than deep core beliefs, given the former's centrality to coalition members' belief system (Nohrstedt et al., 2023, p. 133), and negative emotions are expected to have a larger effect on coalition membership and policy position than positive emotions, given the former's more visceral and intense attributes (Bell et al., 2022; Wahl‐Jorgensen, 2019). Given two categories of emotions and two categories of emotions, the relationships tested in Hypotheses 3a and 3b are visualized in Figure 1.…”

Anticipated administrative burdens: How proximity to upcoming compulsory meetings affect welfare recipients' experiences of administrative burden

“…Future research may build on the finding of Nielsen et al (2021) that some citizens are unlikely to seek out new information when interacting with government to understand these dynamics in more detail. Relatedly, Bell et al (2022) find that emotions influence the likelihood of seeking information. These insights may be used to explore in further detail how emotions and anticipation interact in shaping learning costs.…”

Competencies of the public servant and their impacts: a study in Brazil

“…Studies highlight that organizational commitment influences, among others, organizational citizenship behavior (Bell et al ., 2022; Grego-Planer, 2019), which impacts the efficiency of the organization as well as job satisfaction (Rodrigo et al ., 2022). In addition, affective and normative commitments are relevant as predictors of information sharing behavior by employees in the public sector (Rasdi and Tangaraja, 2022).…”