Observing public service motivation

The extant literature around public service motivation is overwhelmingly empirical, and usually quantitative in nature. This is a positive of PSMT, and means that there is considerable evidence to support the view that public employees have other regarding motivations. But there are also significant issues with this empirical evidence; with its areas of focus, and with the methods used. This chapter critically explores the empirical evidence around public service motivation, focusing particularly on 52 articles published in 2020 that included ‘public service motivation’ in the title. The chapter concludes that empirical evidence around public service motivation continues to demonstrate methodological weaknesses identified nearly a decade ago from within the field. In particular, the continuing use of cross-sectional surveys and self-reported measures (with inherent issues of social desirability bias) limits significantly the conclusions that can be drawn from the research, as does its overwhelming focus on the consequences of public service motivation in public employees.