Motivation in Public Management : The Call of Public Service

Motivation in Public Management: The Call of Public Service joins a long-standing debate about what drives the behavior of government employees and others who are engaged in the public's business. For many centuries, public service was considered a noble calling and, more recently, a profession. During the latter part of the 20th century, however, many scholars called into question both the reality and desirability of a public service ethic. This book draws upon a substantial and growing body of evidence from across disciplines in the social, behavioral, and natural sciences. It asks and answers key questions about the extent to which behavior is fundamentally self- or other-regarding.

To paraphrase James Madison, "public servants are not angels," but neither are they self-aggrandizing opportunists. The evidence presented in this volume offers a compelling case that motivation theory should be grounded not only in rational choice models, but altruistic and prosocial perspectives as well. In addition to reviewing evidence from many disciplines, the volume extensively reviews research in public management conducted under the rubric of "public service motivation". The volume is a comprehensive guide to history, methodology, empirical research, and institutional and managerial implications of research on public service motivation. As the contributors illustrate, the implications transcend particular sectors or countries.

James L. Perry is Chancellor's Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), Indiana University, Bloomington. He also holds adjunct appointments in Philanthropy and Political Science. He has held faculty appointments at the University of California, Irvine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, University of Hong Kong, and Yonsei University. He received M.P.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Perry's research focuses on public service motivation, national and community service, and government reform. He is author and editor of many scholarly articles and books, among them Civic Service: What Difference Does It Make? (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2004), co-authored with Ann Marie Thomson, and Quick Hits for Educating Citizens (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006), co-edited with Steven Jones. Annie Hondeghem is Professor at the Public Management Institute of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven). Her research deals with public personnel management, change management, and equal opportunities policies. She is coordinator at the KU.Leuven of the Policy Research Centre "Governmental Organization in Flanders", a research program commissioned by the Flemish government. She is the coordinator of the Public Management Programme, which is an intensive training program for public servants of the federal administration in Belgium.

Hondeghem's most recent publications include Competency management in the public sector: European variations on a theme (with Sylvia Horton and David Farnham,2002), Staff participation and and public management reform: Some international comparisons (with Sylvia Horton and David Farnham, 2004) and De Copernicushervorming in perspectief. Veranderingsmanagement in de federale overheid (with Roger Depré).