Social Identity and Cooperative Behavior by Public Administrators

Scholars suggest that coproduction may exacerbate inequity in the delivery of services because citizens with high need may have fewer resources to commit to the process. We explore whether differences between administrators and citizens might also contribute to such inequities. We use Social Identity Theory to develop the expectation that administrators may have a greater affinity for and are more willing to work with in-group members in the coproduction of public services. Evidence from a survey experiment with approximately 200 public administrators demonstrates that racial congruence increases the likelihood of cooperative behavior indirectly through its impact on sympathy for a partner. The results do not suggest a direct impact for shared identity on cooperative behavior.