Can we have trust in host government? Self-esteem, work attitudes and prejudice of low-status expatriates living in China

Abstract

. The paper aims to investigate whether trust in a host government can mitigate the negative effects caused by the social complexities facing low-status expatriates (LSEs) living in China. It models trust in host government as a mediator in the relationship between expatriates’ perception of status -based prejudice and their work attitudes; it further outlines the role of self-esteem in this relationship. The study seeks to expand knowledge in the domain of expatriate management by explaining the prejudicial behavior of host country towards low-status expatriates. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze responses from LSEs in China. The results provide the evidence that perceived discrimination negatively affects expatriates’ work attitudes and suggest that trust in the host government can mediate such effects. Self-esteem is found to be a significant moderator in the relationship. With this, the study empirically affirms social categorization theory, showing it to be a powerful lens through which LSE adaptability can be the behavior of host nationals towards low-status expatriates and can be further developed with regard to the adaptability of low-status expatriates.