Year: 2008
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: For many people, the choice between working in the public and private sector is a fundamental one.On the downside, public sector pay is on average lower for equivalent jobs than in the private sector, and public sector employees may feel constrained by a larger number of rules and regulations (Boyne, 2002;Allington and Morgan, 2003).But on the upside, the public sector may have one unique advantage to offer: the chance to do a socially useful job.Public sector bodies are supposed to advance outcomes that societies care about.Such beliefs and values are often thought to be shared by those who work there -in contrast with the supposedly more selfish outlooks of those who are employed in the private sector whose individual rewards tend to be tied to profits and sales.If so, this publicly orientated set of values may help compensate for lower levels of remuneration and generally worse working conditions in the public sector.This so-called 'public service ethos' is valued by policymakers.The cynical commentator may say that it can help keep wages down.But even those who do not take that position would tend to agree that a motivated staff, who are keen to do their most for the public realm, can help to ensure that the large spending increases of recent years translate into improved public policy outcomes.Workers in the public sector face considerable challenges, whether it is teaching children in an urban school or nursing walk-in cases at an NHS Accident and Emergency clinic.These are the kinds of jobs that cannot be done by people who are just there for the extrinsic benefits and financial rewards.They need a public service ethos for employees to engage with this demanding but intrinsically rewarding work.Talking about the public service ethos is also a way of recognising the wider contribution these workers make to society in the number of unpaid hours and extra effort they put in beyond what is laid down in their contracts.It provides an answer to the populist and right-wing critique of the public sector as being less efficient because there is no profit motive driving productivity.
Source: SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks
Authors: Peter John, Mark Johnson, Peter John, Mark Johnson*
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: G5866054134
OpenAlex ID: W155927804