On 8th December 2021, the fourth seminar of Young Scholars Report Series was held online successfully. The lecture was hosted by Professor Ting Gong, an emeritus Professor at City University of Hong Kong and a chair Professor at Fudan university. Keynote speakers included Fan Yang, an associate professor of the School of Political Science and Public Administration, East China University of Political Science and Law, Rui Wang, an assistant professor of the School of Management, Lanzhou University, and Wenyan Tu, an assistant professor of the Institute for Global Public Policy, Fudan University. Centering on the theme of “Impacts of accountability on bureaucratic behaviors”, the seminar discussed three aspects: behaviors of street-level bureaucrats, mixed effects of accountability, coupling relationship between bureaucratic integrity and efficiency. More than 140 teachers and students attended the seminar.

Dr. Yang lectured on “Street-level bureaucrats’ behaviors under intensive accountability”. He pointed out that influenced by resources, power, tasks, accountability pressure, and political contexts, bureaucrats adopt different strategies, resulting in a series of strategic administrative behaviors. An intriguing paradox is that under intensified accountability, the behavior of grassroots administrative organizations is contrary to expectations. Dr. Yang gave explanations to this paradox from the perspective of regulations, organizations, and environments. 

Dr. Wang lectured on “Mixed effects of accountability and grassroots governance”. She put forth the concept of mixed effects of accountability and its applications. She discussed with participants on how different situations and factors affect the mixed effects of accountability, how to balance the intensity of accountability, and whether accountability is the purpose or the means. Professor Gong suggested that the legitimacy, authority and effectiveness of accountability are the key points of the accountability system, and the priority of the three points is worth further consideration.

Dr. Tu lectured on “Coupling relationship between bureaucratic integrity and efficiency under intensified anti-corruption crackdowns”. She suggested that the interplay between formal and informal institutions determines how bureaucrats respond to anti-corruption enforcement. In regions without sound formal institutions, strong anti-corruption efforts may exert a chilling effect on bureaucrats’ entrepreneurship in promoting their local economy. She discussed with participants on the theoretical foundation of the research, the definition of the formal and informal systems, and the measurements of variables.