Why the Chinese Judicial Branch Became Less Attractive Profession? Linking Organizational Justice to Judges’ Turnover Intention

• In Event: Victimization and Organizational Justice in China

Abstract

In recent years, more and more judges in China resigned from courts, leaving the courts less attractive agencies. Many reasons shape judges’ decisions to leave, among which organizational justice is an important factor that cannot be ignored. Although recent studies have connected organizational justice to criminal justice practitioners’ occupational outlooks and behavior, the relationship between the organizational justice and Chinese judges’ turnover intention remains understudied. We propose a theoretical framework linking organizational justice directly to judges’ intention to resign and indirectly through trust in supervisors, occupational stress and satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Based on survey data collected from a few hundred judges in a northern province in China, we test the proposed direct and indirect relationships using structural equation modeling (SEM) approaches. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Authors

• Yao Ding, University of Delaware

• Ivan Sun, University of Delaware

• Qianwei Zhao, Baylor University