Although we echo Lievens and Motowidlo's (2016) view that situational judgment test (SJT) research should subscribe to the construct-driven approach, we disagree with their argument on two counts. First, we question whether measuring general domain knowledge represents the only way to advance SJT research. Second, we question whether it is appropriate to downplay the importance of situations in SJTs. In this commentary, we first briefly review construct-driven SJT studies and then share our own experience in developing an SJT for integrity in China using the construct-driven approach. Based on the review and reflection, we come to two major conclusions: (a) construct-driven SJT research has progressed well so far without the reconceptualization of SJTs as measures of general domain knowledge, and (b) specific situations are an important feature of SJTs that should not yet be dismissed.

Since China’s reform and opening up, the role of think tanks in policy-making has increased providing decision-makers with an ‘internal reference’ for agenda setting. Think tanks are frequently entrusted by government to undertake policy research projects. In the context of strong ideological control where official think tanks have dominated, a new-type of privately-run and government-subsidised think tanks has emerged in the field of talent policy. Using the Zhejiang Institution of Talent Development as an example of a typical privately-run and government-subsidised think tank, this study explores the dynamics of the increasing role and influence of such think tanks in policy making. Firstly, at a macro level, there is increasing demand for skilled labour as China’s economy grows and changes, and provinces compete for talent: this has led to increasing demand by provinces for talent policies and, given their limited policy-making expertise, to increasing dependence on external think tanks’ policy research expertise. Then, the study describes ZITD’s structure and operations, and analyses ZITD’s ‘participation mode’ approach involving participation in four phases of policy development: preliminary research, agenda setting, program design, ultimate decision making. From this, the study concludes that the key success factors for privately-run and government-subsidised think tanks are: building long-term sustainable cooperation between government and experts, promoting evidence-based talent policy decision-making, and canvassing a wide range of possible policy objectives. Also, however, such think tanks face challenges in expressing independent opinions, recruiting and retaining their own experts and expanding their influence in decision-making. Finally, whether the rise of privately-run and government-subsidised think tanks improves public participation or democracy in policy-making system could be the subject of further exploration.

In China, grid workers have increasingly become an indispensable and important force in basic social governance. They not only undertake several tasks, such as gaining publicity, collecting information, resolving conflicts, and assisting in management, but they also actively serve the grid residents enthusiastically and engage in proactive service behaviors. In order to better cultivate this important force, we hope to have a better understanding of the factors contributing to the behavioral performance of grid workers, especially the impact of organizational and personal factors. In this study, we sought to establish what factors influence the proactive service behaviors of grid workers. Based on a theoretical consideration of factors such as public service motivation, occupational identity, and organizational climate, a multi-factor influence hypothesis model was constructed to explain the proactive service behaviors of these workers. By analyzing data based on 348 paired survey samples received in two stages in eastern China, these hypotheses were then tested. The results reflect that grid workers’ public service motivation can stimulate proactive service behaviors. Furthermore, occupational identity plays a mediating role, while organizational support and organizational service climate play a positive moderating role between public service motivation and occupational identity. This finding clarifies the important influencing factors of proactive service behaviors among grassroots workers, such as grid workers, and has important implications for how to effectively motivate these groups to provide more proactive services, promoting their sustainable development and improve the effectiveness of grassroots governance.

The dual effects of work connectivity behavior after-hours (WCBA) on employees’ in-role and extra-role behaviors were investigated using the framework of the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model. A two-wave cross-sectional design with a one-week interval was employed, and data were acquired from a survey of 402 Chinese employees. The results showed that WCBA positively influenced in-role and extra-role behaviors through enhanced psychological job control (β = 0.1908 and β = 0.1356, respectively), while also exerting negative effects via increased ICT anxiety (β = −0.0190 and β = −0.0434, respectively). The findings indicate that although WCBA can foster work outcomes through increased job control, it also carries the risk of undermining these benefits due to the psychological strain from ICT-related stress. Therefore, organizations should support employees in managing WCBA effectively by balancing potential productivity gains with an awareness of its psychological costs. This research uniquely provides a simultaneous investigation of both behavior types within a unified dual-pathway framework based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model. This research also extends our knowledge of the nuanced influence of after-hours connectivity and has potential application in the optimization of the performance and welfare of employees in digitally connected work environments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the global burden of respiratory diseases (RD), intensifying syndemic threats and the “immunity debt” eff