Prosocial Behaviors: A Matter of Altruism or Public Service Motivation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn S Piatak ◽  
Stephen B Holt
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Prosocial Behaviors ◽  
Probability Models ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Linear Probability

Abstract In recent years, public service motivation (PSM) research has grown substantially, but is still largely limited to the field of public administration. To be able to export the theory and measures of PSM to other disciplines, we need more conceptual clarity. Some suggest PSM is analogous to altruism, whereas others warn not to confound the two concepts. Is PSM separate from altruism? How does each motivational construct relate to prosocial behaviors? We use a nationally representative panel of respondents to the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) to measure both altruism and PSM among respondents before the 2016 election and measure respondents’ participation in prosocial behaviors after the 2016 election. Using linear probability models with state fixed effects, we find that although PSM and altruism predict prosocial behaviors separately, altruism has no effect after controlling for PSM. PSM is a more consistent predictor of some prosocial behaviors than altruism, particularly in more formal contexts such as volunteering with an organization.

scholarly journals Hidden Casualties: The Links between Armed Conflict and Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Signe Svallfors
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Probability Models ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Linear Probability

Abstract The Colombian peace process was internationally celebrated for its unprecedented focus on women's experiences of war, but the everyday violence women that may face in their homes was not acknowledged. This article explores the links between exposure to local armed conflict violence and individual women's experiences of intimate partner violence. I combine pooled nationally representative data on individual women's experiences of intimate partner violence with information about the intensity of conflict during 2004–16. Results of fixed-effects linear probability models show that conflict was generally linked to a slightly elevated risk of women experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual violence perpetrated by their partner. Among women who had experienced intimate partner violence, conflict was related to an increased probability of being partnered at interview, which could reflect women staying in abusive relationships because conflict normalizes violence or increases women's reluctance to leave those relationships.

scholarly journals Purchasing Counterfeits and Citizenship: Public Service Motivation Matters

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Kwangho Jung ◽  
Seung-Hee Lee ◽  
Jane Workman
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Unethical Behavior ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Ethical Consumption ◽  
Past Experience ◽  
Ethical Consumer ◽  
Willingness To Buy ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Willingness To Purchase ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study was to examine how consumers’ public service motivation (PSM) is related to ethical consumption behaviors and how past experience of unethical behavior can reduce the impact of PSM on ethical consumer behaviors. A nationally representative sample from South Korea was used to explore how PSM influences willingness to purchase fashion counterfeits and how the impact of PSM differs for those with and without past experience buying fashion counterfeits. Higher PSM was associated with less willingness to buy counterfeits. Past experience buying counterfeits was associated with greater willingness to buy counterfeits. Past experience buying counterfeits intervened between the impact of PSM and willingness to buy counterfeits such that the impact of PSM was weakened.

scholarly journals Public Service Motivation: A Rationalist Critique

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris O’Leary
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Resources ◽  
Bureaucratic Behavior

There has been a significant and growing interest, and growing empirical research, around Public Service Motivation (PSM) in recent years. There are few critiques of the construct, and none from a rationalist perspective. Given that the origins of PSM lie in attempts by public administration scholars to counter rationalist explanations of bureaucratic behavior, this lack of countercriticism is surprising. This article provides a rationalist critique of PSM. It argues that PSM is consistent with, and not an alternative to, rationalist understandings of what motivates individuals. It also argues that a significant gap in the PSM literature is around how civil servants and others make decisions; decisions about the public interest, and thus how and when to allocate public resources. It concludes that seeing PSM as consistent with rationality, and specifically as a form of expressive interests, answers many of the remaining questions about PSM and addresses the substantive gaps in the construct.

Serving the Country or Serving Thyself: The Quest for Prosocial Motives of Russian MPA Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara G. Nezhina ◽  
Alexey G. Barabashev
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Prosocial Motives ◽  
Informal Volunteering ◽  
Prosocial Motive ◽  
First Time

U.S. and European scholars have established the association between work in government and public service motivation (PSM). Yet, few studies measure PSM among master of public administration (MPA) students and link it to their intention to work in government. For the first time in Russia, the study tests the association between culturally determined measures of prosocial motives of Russian MPA students and their intention to work for government upon graduation. Three theoretical frameworks help structuring this research: public administration, political trust, and volunteering. The data in this study confirm that Russian MPA students with prosocial motives tend to choose work in government. We explain this phenomenon by deriving the prosocial motive theoretical perspective from the larger concept of PSM and from the theory of political trust. In addition, the study finds that formal and informal volunteering is not related to choosing work in government. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Turkish Consumer Participation in E-Commerce

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-50
Author(s):  
Tekin Kose ◽  
Sebnem Arslan
Keyword(s):  
Household Survey ◽  
Online Marketing ◽  
Consumer Participation ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Probability Models ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Participation Decision ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Linear Probability

This study investigates socio-economic factors affecting participation by Turkish individuals in electronic commerce. By exploiting a nationally representative household survey data from Turkey, non-linear probability models are employed to quantify the factors influencing participation decision of consumers in e-commerce. Empirical findings indicate that income level, education level, being employed, variety of internet use, technology skills and trust in internet have positive relationships with both use of e-commerce and amount of online expenditures. While relatively younger and older individuals are less likely to engage in e-commerce activities, middle-aged individuals are more likely to participate. Although females are more likely to participate in e-commerce, they tend to spend less in their e-commerce activities compared to males. Research findings imply that policies to encourage use of technology and online marketing strategies of businesses should employ different approaches which specially target sub-groups of society with respect socio-demographics.

Changes in public service motivation: Can public administration education help cultivate it?

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110243
Author(s):  
Wan-Ling Huang
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Knowledge Delivery

This study aims to investigate the influence of public administration education on the development of college students' public service motivation over time. The data come from a four-wave panel survey of 868 Taiwanese undergraduate students who enrolled in college in 2015; 418 of them majored in public administration and 450 majored in business administration. Latent growth modeling was employed to capture a change of overall public service motivation and individual public service motivation dimensions. Our findings show that students' public service motivation tends to change during the college years, while public administration education may not significantly contribute to its development. Points for practitioners Research findings offer some implications for practice. Given that public service motivation seems to be changeable, it becomes relevant for public managers to invest in developing employees' motivation to serve and make a positive difference in others' lives. However, any in-service training aiming to foster employee public service motivation should not focus too much on knowledge delivery, but rather accentuate the establishment and practice of service values.

Is Public Service Motivation a Better Explanation of Nonprofit Career Preferences Than Government Career Preferences?

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Bright
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Nonprofit Sector ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Important Predictor ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Career Preferences

Public service motivation (PSM) is a multifaceted theory that explains, among other things, the career preferences of individuals. Some have suggested that PSM is not inherently government specific and thus is also a meaningful characteristic of individuals who are employed in the nonprofit sector. This study sought to add to this body of research by exploring the relationship that PSM has to nonprofit and government career preferences, while controlling for the influences of age, gender, minority status, and work experience. The findings of this study demonstrated that individuals with high levels of PSM preferred nonprofit careers over government careers. However, the gender of the respondents was found to be the most important predictor of career preferences when compared with PSM. The implications of these findings to the field of public administration and management are discussed.

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