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Does Pursuing External Incentives Compromise Public Service Motivation? Comparing the effects of job security and high pay

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  • Chung-An Chen
  • Chih-Wei Hsieh

Abstract

The pursuit of both job security and high pay as main reasons for job selection, according to self-determination theory (SDT), implies that people are controlled by external conditions (i.e. external regulation) and thus unlikely to be driven by altruistic values. Conceptually, however, pursuing high pay and pursuing job security seemingly carry disparate connotations. While the former signifies the love of money, which is thought to be incompatible with public service motivation (PSM), the latter accompanies motivation crowding-in, which may correlate positively with PSM. We tested this proposition by using the data collected from 514 municipal middle managers in Taiwan, and it received strong support. Results further show that pay satisfaction moderates the negative relationship between pursuing high pay and PSM. In the conclusion, we discuss how these findings shed light on contemporary administrative reform.

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  • Chung-An Chen & Chih-Wei Hsieh, 2015. "Does Pursuing External Incentives Compromise Public Service Motivation? Comparing the effects of job security and high pay," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(8), pages 1190-1213, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:pubmgr:v:17:y:2015:i:8:p:1190-1213
    DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2014.895032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling & Barbara Janta & Iveta Reinholde & Christian van Stolk, 2016. "Hidden costs of cuts: Austerity, civil service management and the motivation of public officials in Central and Eastern Europe after the crisis," European Journal of Government and Economics, Europa Grande, vol. 5(2), pages 120-137, December.
    3. Qamar Farooq & Peihua Fu & Shahzad Ahmad & Yanni Zhang & Yunhong Hao, 2019. "Assessing Human Factor in the Adoption of Computer-Based Information Systems as the Internal Corporate Social Responsibility," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(3), pages 21582440198, August.
    4. Bold, Tessa & Barton, Nicholas & Sandefur, Justin, 2017. "Measuring Rents from Public Employment: Regression discontinuity evidence from Kenya," CEPR Discussion Papers 12105, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Nicholas Barton & Tessa Bold & Justin Sandefur, 2017. "Measuring Rents from Public Employment: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Kenya - Working Paper 457," Working Papers 457, Center for Global Development.
    6. Tae-Soo Ha & Kuk-Kyoung Moon, 2023. "Distributive Justice, Goal Clarity, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Moderating Role of Transactional and Transformational Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, April.
    7. Zsuzsanna Horváth & Gábor Hollósy-Vadász, 2019. "The Revision Of Hungarian Public Service Motivation (Psm) Model," Central European Journal of Labour Law and Personnel Management, Labour Law Association, vol. 2(1).
    8. Harris, Adam S. & Sigman, Rachel & Meyer-Sahling, Jan-Hinrik & Mikkelsen, Kim Sass & Schuster, Christian, 2020. "Oiling the bureaucracy? political spending, bureaucrats and the resource curse," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).

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