Motivation In Public Management: Call Of Public Service, The

Description:
Motivation in Public Management: The Call of Public Service joins a long-standing debate about what drives the behavior of government employees and others who are engaged in the public's business. For many centuries, public service was considered a noble calling and, more recently, a profession. During the latter part of the 20th century, however, many scholars called into question both the reality and desirability of a public service ethic. This book draws upon a substantial and growing body of evidence from across disciplines in the social, behavioral, and natural sciences. It asks and answers key questions about the extent to which behavior is fundamentally self- or other-regarding. To paraphrase James Madison, 'public servants are not angels,' but neither are they self-aggrandizing opportunists. The evidence presented in this volume offers a compelling case that motivation theory should be grounded not only in rational choice models, but altruistic and prosocial perspectives as well. In addition to reviewing evidence from many disciplines, the volume extensively reviews research in public management conducted under the rubric of 'public service motivation'.The volume is a comprehensive guide to history, methodology, empirical research, and institutional and managerial implications of research on public service motivation. As the contributors illustrate, the implications transcend particular sectors or countries.

Table of Contents:
Editors' Introduction; PART 1: FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION; 1. History and Persistence of an Idea and an Ideal; 2. Interdisciplinary Foundations of Public Service Motivation; 3. Behavioral Dynamics: Institutions, Identities, and Self-regulation; 4. Methodological Challenges Associated with Public Service Motivation Research; PART 2: EXPLORING THE ANTECEDENTS, CORRELATES, AND OUTCOMES OF PUBLIC SERVICE; 5. Antecedents and Correlates of Public Service Motivation; 6. Recruitment, Attraction, and Selection; 7. Employee and Organizational Performance; 8. Public Service Motivation and Ethical Conduct; 9. Behavior in the Public Square; PART 3: COMPARATIVE ANALYSES IN PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION; 10. Not a Government Monopoly: The Private, Nonprofit, and Voluntary Sectors; 11. International Differences in Public Service Motivation: Comparing Regions Across the World; PART 4: THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION; 12. The Normative Model in Decline? Public Service Motivation in the Age of Governance; 13. From Theory to Practice: Strategies for Applying Public Service Motivation; 14. Directions for Future Theory and Research