Community identity represents the core essence of community construction and enhancing the residents' community identity through affective governance practices is a crucial element in community construction. Although the role of affective governance in grassroots practices is increasingly prominent, existing research is confined to theoretical proposals or case studies, lacking a comprehensive understanding and an an analysis of the internal mechanisms.

To address this research gap, this study employed a two-stage questionnaire survey, collecting 854 valid samples from 52 representative communities in an East China city. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanism through which emotional governance practices enhance residents' community identity via governance performance expectations.

Through nested samples(community-residents) cross-level mediation analysis, our findings suggest the following: (1) The higher the degree of affective governance in a community, the higher the residents' level of community identity; (2) Residents' expectations of community governance, the performance level of governance, and the discrepancy of performance expectations all positively contribute to enhancing resident community identity, with the direct effect of performance expectation discrepancies being the most significant; (3) Community governance expectations, community governance performance, and the difference between performance and expectations partially mediate the relationship between affective governance and community identity, with governance performance showing the largest mediating effect.

This study reveals the potential mechanisms through which affective governance practices enhance community identity, reinforcing the crucial role of affective governance in community construction. Additionally, the study examines the differentiated moderating mechanisms of the three dimensions of the expectancy-disconfirmation model on the relationship between affective governance and community identity, contributing to advancing the practical guidance of this theory in grassroots governance scenarios.

By delving into the relationship between affective governance and community identity, this research provides theoretical support and practical insights for governance community construction, contributing valuable experiences and insights to further deepen the theoretical framework of grassroots governance.

Administrative accountability is a core concern in public management, serving both as a fundamental principle guiding the administration of civil servants and as a crucial condition for achieving good governance. This study, based on a systematic literature review method to analyze 146 Chinese- and English-language scholarly works, provides a comprehensive overview of research on civil servants' administrative accountability and clarifies the conceptual connotation and theoretical foundations. Furthermore, it identifies the influencing factors and mechanisms underlying administrative accountability, examines the governance challenges currently faced in the process of implementation, and proposes the future direction of research to advance the field.

The review reveals that administrative accountability has been explored across multiple disciplines, including management, psychology, and ethics. However, the concept remains loosely defined and is primarily understood via three perspectives: relational, typological, and subjective perceptions. Based on an in-depth synthesis of existing studies, this article constructs a holistic framework for understanding the influencing logic behind civil servants' administrative accountability. Specifically, it identifies the key influencing factors from five dimensions—individual, institutional, situational, task-related, and technological—and examines the mechanisms driving the realization of accountability through the interplay of endogenous and exogenous factors. Additionally, the study analyzes the governance challenges currently facing civil servants, including the complexity of multiple accountability forums, the paradox between accountability and performance, and the risks associated with the integration of artificial intelligence into administrative accountability.

Building on these insights, this article outlines the direction of future research in the field of administrative accountability, including the refinement of conceptual definitions and measurement tools, the expansion of research on antecedents and influencing mechanisms, the exploration of accountability in the context of the integration of artificial intelligence, and the contextualization of accountability studies within China's governance framework. By mapping the knowledge landscape of civil servants' administrative accountability, this study not only advances theoretical inquiries but also provides practical implications for strengthening the implementation of accountability in public administration.