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The motivational bases of public service: foundations for a third wave of research

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  • James L. Perry

Abstract

Research on public service motivation has garnered significant attention from scholars, especially in the last two decades. This article divides the evolution of the research into three waves: definition and measurement; assessing and confirming construct validity and diffusion of the construct; and learning from past research and filling shortcomings and gaps. Significant contributions and benchmarks of the first two waves are identified. Four foundational activities are discussed that are present and will be important for advancing public service motivation research during the third wave. Some aspects of the research in the Asia Pacific region are highlighted.

Suggested Citation

  • James L. Perry, 2014. "The motivational bases of public service: foundations for a third wave of research," Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 34-47, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rapaxx:v:36:y:2014:i:1:p:34-47
    DOI: 10.1080/23276665.2014.892272
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fehrler, Sebastian & Kosfeld, Michael, 2014. "Pro-social missions and worker motivation: An experimental study," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 99-110.
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    5. Sébastien Castaing, 2006. "The Effects of Psychological Contract Fulfilment and Public Service Motivation on Organizational Commitment in the French Civil Service," Post-Print halshs-00078838, HAL.
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    2. Chengwei Xu, 2022. "Work Motivation in the Public Service: A Scale Development Based on the Self-Determination Theory," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    3. Diana Al‐Fayez & Imane Hijal‐Moghrabi & Youngseok Yoon & Meghna Sabharwal, 2024. "Building blocks of good governance: Fostering an ethical work climate in public sector organizations," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(5), pages 383-396, December.
    4. Teresa Forte & Gonçalo Santinha & Mariana Oliveira & Marta Patrão, 2022. "The High Note of Meaning: A Case Study of Public Service Motivation of Local Government Officials," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-17, September.
    5. Francesca AMENDOLA, 2019. "The Public Service Motivation: Lessons from the Literature," CELPE Discussion Papers 158, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    6. Nick Brander-Peetz & David Peetz & Paula Brough, 2022. "Turnover intentions, training and motivations among Australian union staff," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(4), pages 1495-1518, November.
    7. Pini DAVIDOV, 2024. "Motivation Of Public Sector Employees In Israel Depending On Their Status And Education Level," REVISTA ADMINISTRATIE SI MANAGEMENT PUBLIC, Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 2024(42), pages 131-144.
    8. Sean Nicholson-Crotty & Jill Nicholson-Crotty & Sean Webeck, 2019. "Are public managers more risk averse? Framing effects and status quo bias across the sectors," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 2(1).
    9. Belardinelli, Paolo & Bellé, Nicola & Cantarelli, Paola, 2021. "The impact of bounded subadditivity on administrative behaviour among public and private workers," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 110449, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Sahar Awan & Germà Bel & Marc Esteve, 2018. "“The benefits of PSM: an oasis or a mirage?”," IREA Working Papers 201825, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2018.

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