The blame-avoiding effect of sanction-based accountability and its boundary conditions

Drawing on a reputation-based approach to public accountability, we conducted a series of survey experiments (N = 1,677) to test whether account-holders can mitigate blame by punishing account-givers. Results show that punishment reduces blame toward account-holders. The blame-avoiding effect depends on (1) policy outcomes, being stronger when outcomes worsen; (2) trust in account-holders, weakening when audiences distrust them; and (3) types of punishment, with substantive sanctions more effective than reputational ones. These findings contribute to public accountability and blame politics by offering causal evidence of the symbolic value of sanctions and delineating boundary conditions of blame avoidance.