Public service quality and migrants' deservingness: positioning routine administrative practices as strategic tools for equity and social cohesion
Zhaomin Meng & Jungwon Yeo
Abstract
Purpose This empirical study examines how the quality of ordinary public services shapes the public perception of migrants' deservingness. Specifically, it aims to contribute to current public management studies by investigating whether routine administrative practices can function as levers for fostering more inclusive and welcoming attitudes toward migrants. Design/methodology/approach The research hypothesizes the detailed relationship between public service quality and deservingness of migrants. To estimate the relationship, a multiple regression was conducted to analyze the data (n = 489) drawn from the Shanghai Section of the 2019 China Social Situation Survey. Findings The findings reveal the significance of public service quality in shaping public perception of migrants' deservingness. Notably, “sanitation and hygiene” and “security and safety” services boost the perceived deservingness of migrants, whereas high quality “welfare” services appear to have the opposite effect on the public perception. Practical implications This study offers actionable insights for local governments, especially the importance of prioritizing non-rivalrous, problem-solving focused service improvements for enhancing deservingness of migrants. Originality/value This study offers a novel public management perspective on migration by examining how the quality of ordinary public services – sanitation and hygiene, security and safety, welfare – shapes public perceptions of migrants' deservingness. Unlike prior policy-focused research, it reveals that problem-solving services can foster inclusion while redistributive services may heighten competition, positioning routine administrative practices as strategic tools for equity and social cohesion. By analyzing internal migration in Shanghai, China, it extends Western-centric deservingness debates to Asian contexts and equips public managers with evidence on revamping service delivery amid demographic change.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.