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Public Service Motivation, Prosocial Motivation and Altruism: Towards Disentanglement and Conceptual Clarity

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Research on public service motivation (PSM) has made great strides in terms of study output. Given the enormous scholarly attention on PSM, it is surprising that considerable conceptual ambiguities and overlaps with related concepts such as prosocial motivation, and altruism still remain. This study addresses this issue by systematically carving out the differences and similarities between these concepts. Taking this approach, this study clarifies the conceptual space of both PSM and the other concepts. Using data from semi-structured interviews with police officers, it is illustrated that PSM and prosocial motivation are different types of motivation leading to different types of prosocial behaviour.

Source: International Journal of Public Administration

DOI: 10.1080/01900692.2019.1588302

Authors: Carina Schott, Oliver Neumann, Muriel Baertschi, Adrian Ritz

Institutions: Utrecht University, University of Bern, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Public Policy and Administration Research

Subfield: Public Administration

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W2923767606

FWCI: 36.47

Cites: 57

Cited by: 133

Related to: 10