An Empirical Test of the Influence of Rural Leadership on the Willingness to Participate in Public Affairs from the Perspective of Leadership Identification

Mengjuan Zhang, Hongwei Shi (), Leon Williams, Paul Lighterness, Mingxing Li and Asad Ullah Khan
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Mengjuan Zhang: School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Hongwei Shi: School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Leon Williams: Center for Competitive Creative Design, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Paul Lighterness: Center for Competitive Creative Design, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Mingxing Li: School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Asad Ullah Khan: School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-21

Abstract: The participation of villagers in rural public affairs is vital for the sustainable development of rural communities and the improvement of villagers’ quality of life. Various factors, including individual characteristics, village environment, social forces, and national policies, influence villagers’ willingness to participate. However, empirical research on the determinants of villagers’ participation in public affairs often overlooks the role of grassroots leadership. To address this gap, this study proposes a theoretical model examining the relationship between transformational leadership and villagers’ willingness to participate in public affairs. Using a sample of 438 villagers from Jiangsu Province in eastern China, structural equation modeling and regression are employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that moral modeling, leadership charm, and personalized care directly impact villagers’ willingness to participate in public affairs or indirectly influence it through leadership identification, which acts as a mediator. Furthermore, shared vision enhances the positive relationship between leadership identification and villagers’ awareness of public affairs participation. These findings provide valuable insights for village cadres seeking to promote active participation in public affairs among villagers. Specifically, gaining recognition through virtuous conduct, capabilities, and strong cadre–villager relationships serves as a foundation for influencing villagers’ willingness to participate in public affairs, while shared vision plays a strategic role in mobilizing villagers based on their identification with leaders.

Keywords: transformational leadership; public affairs participation; leadership identification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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