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Dynamics of Public Service Motivation: Attraction‒Selection and Socialization in the Production and Regulation of Social Services
Author(s) -
Kjeldsen Anne Mette
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/puar.12154
Subject(s) - socialization , preference , public service motivation , service (business) , production (economics) , public sector , work (physics) , task (project management) , social work , attraction , selection (genetic algorithm) , public service , tertiary sector of the economy , private sector , business , social psychology , public relations , psychology , marketing , political science , economics , microeconomics , management , economic growth , engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , law
The literature on public service motivation ( PSM ) has typically focused on the relationship between motivation and public/private sector of employment, while the character of the work being performed has been neglected. Using panel surveys with pre‐ and postentry measures of PSM among certified Danish social workers, this article provides a unique design for investigating PSM ‐based attraction‒selection and socialization effects with respect to the choice between work related to service production or service regulation (controlled for public/private sector of employment). The article shows that the PSM profiles of social work students predict their preference for one of the two types of work tasks but do not predict first employment in the preferred job. Conversely, postentry shifts in social workers’ PSM profiles result from a complex interplay between influences from both work task and sector .