Public Administration Review· 2026Q1
Citizens' Expectations vs. Recruitment Signals: Are Public Administrations Trying to Attract the Ideal Public Servant?
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Public administration job ads signal expertise and dedication but undersignal relational values like serviceability and honesty, creating a misalignment with citizen expectations for ideal public servants.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- 1825 job advertisements from US health and transportation departments were analyzed using a large language model.
- Job ads predominantly signal values like expertise and dedication.
- Relational values such as serviceability, responsiveness, and honesty are undersignaled in job ads.
- A misalignment exists between advertised values and citizen expectations of ideal public servants.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
ABSTRACT Job advertisements play a crucial role in attracting applicants, yet little is known about how closely they reflect the values citizens expect from public servants. Drawing on signaling theory and prior research on citizens' normative expectations of ideal public servants, this study employs a large language model to analyze 1825 job advertisements from health and transportation departments across seven U.S. states. Compared to the values citizens associate with ideal public servants in previous research, job advertisements predominantly emphasize values, such as expertise and dedication, while undersignaling relational values like serviceability, responsiveness, and honesty. Our findings suggest a misalignment between the values signaled in recruitment practices and those citizens associate with the ideal public servant. By adopting a citizen‐driven perspective, this study prompts scholars and public managers to question recruitment practices that may underemphasize values citizens prioritize in public servants, potentially limiting public administrations' ability to attract qualified candidates.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Public Administration Review, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Public Administration
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences