Public Service Motivation and Attraction to Public versus Private Sector Employment: Academic Field of Study as Moderator?

Mogens Jin Pedersen

doi:10.1080/10967494.2013.825484

Public Service Motivation and Attraction to Public versus Private Sector Employment: Academic Field of Study as Moderator?

Mogens Jin Pedersen^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite extensive public service motivation (PSM) research, our knowledge of PSM's influence on individuals’ sector employment preferences is limited. Few studies examine this relationship by suitable research designs, and the empirical findings are mixed. Using a sample of 718 Danish students of economics, political science, and law, this article tests (1) the relationship between PSM and attraction to public versus private sector employment and (2) the moderating effect on this relationship of students’ academic field of study. Overall, results underscore the multidimensionality of the PSM construct, as the PSM dimension of “public interest” is positively associated with attraction to public sector employment and negatively associated with attraction to private sector employment, while the PSM dimension of “compassion” is unrelated to both. Importantly, however, moderation analyses reveal notable correlation differences across students’ academic fields. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of prior and future research

Original language	English
Journal	International Public Management Journal
Volume	16
Issue number	3
Pages (from-to)	357-385
ISSN	1096-7494
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2013.825484
Publication status	Published - Jul 2013

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10.1080/10967494.2013.825484

Cite this

@article{3056e84a5a80462b90769431f755888d,

title = "Public Service Motivation and Attraction to Public versus Private Sector Employment: Academic Field of Study as Moderator?",

abstract = "Despite extensive public service motivation (PSM) research, our knowledge of PSM's influence on individuals{\textquoteright} sector employment preferences is limited. Few studies examine this relationship by suitable research designs, and the empirical findings are mixed. Using a sample of 718 Danish students of economics, political science, and law, this article tests (1) the relationship between PSM and attraction to public versus private sector employment and (2) the moderating effect on this relationship of students{\textquoteright} academic field of study. Overall, results underscore the multidimensionality of the PSM construct, as the PSM dimension of “public interest” is positively associated with attraction to public sector employment and negatively associated with attraction to private sector employment, while the PSM dimension of “compassion” is unrelated to both. Importantly, however, moderation analyses reveal notable correlation differences across students{\textquoteright} academic fields. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of prior and future research",

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AB - Despite extensive public service motivation (PSM) research, our knowledge of PSM's influence on individuals’ sector employment preferences is limited. Few studies examine this relationship by suitable research designs, and the empirical findings are mixed. Using a sample of 718 Danish students of economics, political science, and law, this article tests (1) the relationship between PSM and attraction to public versus private sector employment and (2) the moderating effect on this relationship of students’ academic field of study. Overall, results underscore the multidimensionality of the PSM construct, as the PSM dimension of “public interest” is positively associated with attraction to public sector employment and negatively associated with attraction to private sector employment, while the PSM dimension of “compassion” is unrelated to both. Importantly, however, moderation analyses reveal notable correlation differences across students’ academic fields. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of prior and future research

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