More than words: Experimental evidence on the negative effects of red tape on quality and procedural justice

Red tape is one of the most important concepts in public management. However, it is still unclear if red tape influences crucial procedural characteristics, or that it is mostly rhetorical in nature. In fields such as social psychology, the importance of (perceived) procedural quality and procedural justice has been established. We aim to contribute to the literature by analyzing the impact of red tape on these procedural characteristics. To test these relationships, we use an online experiment conducted in MTurk (n=141). In so doing, we move beyond correlational analysis and are able to show cause-and-effect relationships. We find that higher red tape levels result in lower perceived quality and lower procedural justice, thereby supporting our premise that red tape is more than just words. Implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.