Towards a New Research of Public Service Motivation

Dear Colleagues,

The topic of work motivation in the private sector has been largely studied, whereas the literature on motivation in the public sector has been often criticized to be theoretically and empirically less developed. Nevertheless, Public Service Motivation (PSM), is a construct proposed specifically in the field of public organization studies and is conceptualized as a particular type of prosocial motivation. It has been almost 40 years since the term was coined by Hal Rainey (1982), and 30 years since it was formally conceptualized by Perry and Wise (1990); today, it remains a thriving and vibrant concept in this field (Ritz et al., 2016). Since its first appearance, numerous studies have been conducted on PSM (Vandenabeele et al., 2014; Ritz et al., 2016). A growing research community has responded to Perry and Wise’s (1990) call for the advancement of theory and measurement scales. Research on the antecedents and outcomes of PSM has also been intensive (Ritz et al., 2016). Although the research front is expanding in terms of international diffusion, methodological developments, and theoretical linkages being investigated, several important shortcomings remain. Scholars, in fact, must think critically about the PSM concept to ensure a fruitful future for research on the topic: there is the need for an improved understanding of what attracts individuals to work in the public sector, and what motivates them to serve others and advance the public weal (Vogel, 2020).

This Special Issue is meant to address both individual characteristics and structural, institutional and organizational factors that help develop our understanding of in what context—where, when and how—PSM finds favorable ground to be recognized and developed in order that it can actually “make a difference”. Meanwhile, the discussion and research on this topic aim to contribute to making a connection between PSM and other motivational constructs, as well as to broaden the scope of investigation of work motivation in the public sector by relying on more recent approaches in the OB field and by deepening the role not only of dispositional but also contextual variables. Additionally, the study of incentive regimes is of interest to a wide range of audiences including, but not restricted to, scholars in the fields of management, economics, law, psychology and public administration. Furthermore, some scholars have underlined that little effort has been made to investigate the relevance and the role of motivation in the recent mainstream attempts to innovate public organizations that have been suggested by the various legislative reforms undertaken in recent decades (Homberg et al., 2019).

We invite scholars to contribute to the development of this interdisciplinary research agenda to investigate work motivation in public organizations in different social, cultural, political and economic contexts. Hence, the Special Issue will also seek to explore the extent to which research has deepened the relationship between work motivation and innovation processes within the public sector. Drawing on these premises, this Special Issue aims to highlight:

1. How the study of work motivation in the public sector has evolved and what constructs have been of focus;
2. Empirical evidence concerning the outcomes of work motivation in the public sector with respect to the private sector;
3. Whether and how employing people driven by PSM may enhance both the scope and the quality of public services’ ability to deliver, innovate and, more generally, perform;
4. The set of institutional, contextual and organizational factors that may influence the development or the inhibition of PSM;
5. The way PSM relates to other facets of work motivation, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and other concepts related to the area of organizational behavior;
6. Differences and similarities when employing people driven by PSM in different countries, contexts and organizational levels.

This Special Issue welcomes papers from scholars with diverse backgrounds eager to contribute to the development of an inter-disciplinary research agenda to investigate work motivation in public organizations in different social, cultural, political and economic contexts (Forte et al., 2022, Vandenabeele et al., 2018).

References

Forte, T., Santinha, G., Oliveira, M., & Patrão, M. (2022). The High Note of Meaning: A Case Study of Public Service Motivation of Local Government Officials. Social Sciences, 11: 411. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11090411

Homberg, F., Vogel, R., & Weiherl, J. (2019). Public service motivation and continuous organizational change: Taking charge behaviour at police services. Public Administration, 97(1): 28-47.

Perry, J., & Wise, L. 1990. The motivational bases of public service. American Society for Public Administration, 50: 367–73.

Rainey, H.G. (1982). Reward Preferences among Public and Private Managers: In Search of the Public Service Ethic, American Review of Public Administration, 16,(4): 288–302.

Ritz, A., Brewer, G. A., & Neumann, O. (2016). Public service motivation: A systematic literature review and outlook. Public Administration Review 76: 414–26.

Vandenabeele, W., Brewer, G.A., & Ritz, A. (2014). Past, present, and future of Public Service Motivation research. Public Administration, 92(4): 779–789.

Vandenabeele, W. (2014). Explaining Public Service Motivation: The Role of Leadership and Basic Needs Satisfaction, Review of Public Personnel Administration, 34(2): 79–82.

Vandenabeele, W., Ritz, A. & Neumann, O. (2018). Public service motivation: State of the art and conceptual cleanup, in E. Ongaro, S. Van Thiel (Eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Vogel, M. (2020). When service calls: Public service motivation and calling as complementary concepts for public service. International Public Management Journal, 25: 620–38. 

Prof. Dr. Danila Scarozza
Prof. Dr. Isabella Bonacci
Guest Editors

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• work motivation
• public service motivation
• public service job
• work outcomes
• individual and organizational performance