Accountability and High‐Effort Coping Strategies of Public Employees: Evidence From a Survey Experiment in China

ABSTRACT Using a survey experiment approach, we collected responses from 1244 public employees in a Chinese context. This study examines how two types of accountability obligations (horizontal and hierarchical) and two accountability orientations (learning and control) influence public employees' adoption of high‐effort coping strategies. The findings reveal that, contrary to conventional expectations, a learning orientation is associated with a decreased intention among public employees to adopt high‐effort coping strategies, likely due to the political risks involved. Additionally, our study shows that hierarchical obligation does not facilitate the adoption of high‐effort coping strategies, even in a context that emphasizes obedience and hierarchy. This research contributes to governance and policy studies by providing insights into the relationship between accountability and the high‐effort coping strategies of public employees.