CAT-PA: a framework for explaining citizens’ emotions and coping behaviors in citizen–state interactions

Abstract While citizens’ emotions play a crucial role in citizen–state interactions, the conditions under which different types of emotions and subsequent coping behaviors are evoked remain unclear. This study introduces Cognitive Appraisal Theory for Public Administration (CAT-PA), a theoretical framework that explains how citizens’ emotions emerge in bureaucratic encounters, how they shape behavior, and how they evolve over time. CAT-PA posits that emotional responses are driven by how citizens appraise bureaucratic encounters along three key appraisal dimensions: coping potential, goal congruence, and controllability. By positioning appraisals as the central mechanism linking contextual conditions to emotions, CAT-PA provides a fine-grained understanding of citizens’ emotional and behavioral responses to bureaucratic encounters. An empirical application demonstrates the explanatory potential of CAT-PA and shows how the framework can be used in empirical analysis. The study outlines the theoretical implications of CAT-PA for public administration research and discusses avenues for future research and implications for practice.