Motivation in Public Management

The Call of Public Service

Edited by James L. Perry and Annie Hondeghem

346 pages | Tables and figures | 234x156mm

978-0-19-923403-5 | Hardback | 15 May 2008

Price: £62.50

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Leading American and European scholars provide a comprehensive examination of motivational issues in public service
Draws on research in political science, management studies, organizational studies, human resource management, and psychology
Issues of putting theory into practice are also considered, with practical steps based on theory and research developed and defined

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.

Readership: Academics, researchers, and advanced students of Public Management, Management Studies, Organization Studies, and HRM.

Edited by James L. Perry, Chancellor's Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, and Annie Hondeghem, Professor, Public Management Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Contributors:
Gene A. Brewer, Adjunct Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia (United States),
Annie Hondeghem, Professor at the Public Management Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium),
Sylvia Horton, Honorary Principal Lecturer in Public Sector Studies, University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom),
David J. Houston, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (United States),
Leo Huberts, Professor of Public Administration, VU University Amsterdam, (Netherlands),
Michael Koehler, PhD candidate, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia (United States),
Peter Leisink, Professor of Public Management and Organization Studies, Utrecht University (Netherlands),
Jeroen Maesschalck, Assistant Professor, Leuven Institute of Criminology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium),
Donald P. Moynihan, Associate Professor of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States),
Laurie E. Paarlberg, Assistant Professor of Public and International Affairs, University of North Carolina-Wilmington (United States),
Sanjay K. Pandey, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, University of Kansas (United States),
James L. Perry, Chancellor's Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington (United States),
Hal G. Rainey, Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia (United States),
Edmund C. Stazyk, PhD candidate in Public Administration, University of Kansas (United States),
Trui Steen, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Leiden University (Netherlands),
Bram Steijn, Professor of HRM in the Public Sector, Erasmus University, Rotterdam (Netherlands),
Wouter Vandenabeele, Academic Researcher, Public Management Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium),
Steven Van de Walle, Lecturer in Public Management, University of Birmingham (United Kingdom),
Zeger Van der Wal, PhD researcher in Public Administration, VU University Amsterdam (Netherlands),
Bradley E. Wright, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (United States).

Motivation in Public Management

The Call of Public Service

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