ABSTRACT
This study examines whether and how fairness perception and administration burden relate to citizen participation in social welfare programs. We theoretically argue that both participation costs and citizens’ perceptions of distributive fairness play critical roles in determining individuals’ willingness to engage with welfare programs. We further propose that compliance burden (costs) may constrain frontline officials’ discretion in benefit allocation, thereby reinforcing perceptions of fairness and encouraging program participation. Using a nationally representative sample from the China Urban and Rural Low-Income Household Survey, we find that perceived unfairness is negatively associated with welfare participation, and administrative burdens constitute substantial barriers to access. Moreover, compliance burden weakens the negative correlation between perceived unfairness and welfare participation, suggesting that rigid procedures are linked with stronger perceptions of distributive fairness and institutional trust. These findings underscore the complex interplay between procedural design and citizen perceptions in shaping welfare participation in China.
公平感知、行政负担与社会福利参与
本论文主要研究公平感知与行政负担是否以及如何影响民众参与社会福利项目。我们从理论上认为, 参与成本和分配公平感知在决定个体参与福利项目意愿方面均发挥关键作用。我们进一步提出, 遵从负担(成本)可以通过约束基层官员在福利分配中的自由裁量权, 增强民众的公平感知, 进而促进福利参与。基于中国城乡低收入家庭调查的全国代表性样本, 研究发现, 不公平感知与福利参与呈显著负相关关系。同时, 行政负担构成了获取福利的重要障碍。此外, 遵从负担削弱了不公平感知与福利参与之间的负向关联，这表明刚性程序与更强的分配公平感知及制度信任相关。上述发现凸显了程序设计与民众感知在塑造中国福利参与行为中的复杂相互作用。