Who can serve as the proxy for public employees in public administration experiments? a cross-sample comparison

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines whether convenience samples such as undergraduate students, MPA students, and online subjects can replicate the findings based on public officials in experimental research. We used a 2 × 2 factorial experimental design (High/Low Help-deservingness Clients × With/Without Situational Stress) with scenarios of discretionary decision-making by street-level bureaucrats in China. The four samples showed a consistent pattern in the impact of client help-deservingness on discretionary decision-making, but differed in the effects of situational stress on discretionary decision-making. We suggest that researchers be cautious in using convenience samples as surrogates for professional bureaucrats when the scenarios require professional expertise.