Anti-corruption efforts and citizen-initiated accountability: evidence from administrative litigation

Abstract Despite widespread recognition that institutional environment shapes citizen behavior, we have limited understanding of how anti-corruption efforts influence citizens’ willingness to challenge government actions through formal accountability mechanisms. This study examines how provincial leaders’ corruption convictions affect citizen-initiated administrative litigation in China, exploring the mediating role of judicial remedies and the moderating effect of local corruption environments. Drawing on comprehensive data including over 1.25 million judicial documents and corruption prosecutions, we find that provincial leaders’ corruption convictions significantly increase citizen accountability actions, with this effect mediated by enhanced judicial remedies. However, this direct relationship is substantially weakened when local corruption levels are higher. These findings reveal that anti-corruption efforts can catalyze citizen engagement with accountability institutions, but their effectiveness depends critically on the broader institutional context. This research advances public administration literature by revealing how anti-corruption efforts and judicial review function as institutional mechanisms that activate citizen-initiated legal accountability, reshaping incentive structures for citizen participation in government accountability.