Organizational Correlates of Public Service Motivation: A Meta-analysis of Two Decades of Empirical Research

Abstract

Public service motivation (PSM) has emerged as a central construct in the public administration literature and understanding its correlates has been a key issue. However, despite the large literature into the correlates of PSM, there is great disparity in findings, which precludes the ability to draw firm conclusions. To address this issue, we conducted a meta-analytic review of the organizational correlates of PSM. Our analysis included correlations derived from 46 studies and 48 independent samples. Results indicated that relationships estimated were generally robust to measurement method, but did vary meaningfully by national context. We also observed some evidence suggesting that PSM dimensions had distinct nomological networks. Implications of our findings are discussed.