Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
Representative Bureaucracy and Administrative Burdens: Exploring the Intersection of Lived Experience, Gender, and Professional Qualities
2026-07-06
Lived experience representative bureaucracy theory has expanded the scope of representative bureaucracy by exploring traits beyond race, ethnicity, and gender. However, scholars have yet to focus on the intersection of symbolic representation, intersectionality, and professional qualities. In this article, we employ lived experience representative bureaucracy theory and intersectionality theory to understand which identities (veteran status, gender, and disability status) and professional qualities shape client preferences on which bureaucrat they want to help them navigate administrative burdens. We analyze data from a conjoint experiment of 964 military veterans, showing that lived experience, intersectionality, and professional qualities matter, with the strongest preferences for employees who are responsive and competent. Regarding identity-based characteristics, veteran status and disability status representation were more salient than gender representation in helping veterans navigate healthcare-related administrative burdens. In line with our expectations grounded in intersectionality theory, we find that veterans with a disability prefer to be served by VA employees with a disability, demonstrating the importance of this combination of lived experiences and intersecting identities. We find further evidence that intersectionality matters among male respondents; the positive effects of veteran status were nullified in cases where the VA employee was transgender, revealing the importance of anti-transgender bias in shaping male veterans’ preferences. Exploratory analyses suggest that weak professional qualities can nullify or reverse the positive effects of shared identity, whereas strong professional qualities can compensate for the absence of representation. This study contributes to the literature by exploring the symbolic representative effects of various forms of lived experience representation alongside gender representation and professional qualities, as well as by examining representative bureaucracy through an intersectional lens. Additionally, our research provides a novel examination of disability status as an important and understudied identity with symbolic representative effects.