Bureaucratic encounter, voice behaviour and citizen satisfaction

This article investigates whether citizens’ satisfaction with public service is related to citizen–state encounters, and how voice behaviour shapes this relationship. We provide empirical support for our hypotheses with an original nationwide survey among 5,000 citizens in China. We find that individuals who experienced unfair bureaucratic treatment tend to have lower satisfaction with government performance in public services. We also present evidence that citizens’ vertical and horizontal voice significantly mitigates the negative impact of unfair bureaucratic practices. This study provides insight into the unequal outcomes of citizen-state interaction, emphasizing the significant role of citizen voice in the fairness-satisfaction link.