Who Is Accountable? How Citizens Attribute Success and Failure in Cross-Sector Collaborations

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Samuel, Angela L.; Feeney, Mary K.; Willems, Jurgen
• 署名单位: Vienna University of Economics & Business; Arizona State University; Arizona State University-Tempe
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3298; 1467-9299
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.70054
• 发表日期: 2026-03-07
• 关键词: accountability perceptions; blame attribution theory; cross-sector collaboration; sector bias; Survey experiment; public-service; performance evidence; nonprofit; PRIVATE; governance; partnership; FRAMEWORK; ORGANIZATIONS; TRANSPARENCY; satisfaction

摘要

Cross-sector collaborations bring together organizations with different values, missions, and goals to achieve shared outcomes. However, how accountability is attributed across sectors remains unclear, particularly given the potential influence of sector bias on citizen perceptions. Recent research suggests that clear information can mitigate such bias. Using a pre-registered 3 & times; 2 between-subjects experiment (N = 1515), we examine whether information cues about sector contributions (leading vs. non-leading sector) and performance outcome (success vs. failure) shape perceptions of accountability. Additionally, we assess whether the public sector is held more accountable for failures when leading the collaboration, compared to the private or nonprofit sectors. Consistent with blame attribution theory, citizens attribute accountability for both success and failure primarily to the leading sector. We find no evidence that the public sector is disproportionately blamed. These findings suggest that information on sector contribution, rather than inherent sector bias, plays a crucial role in shaping accountability perceptions.