Public Service Motivation of Public and Nonprofit Employees: Comparative Analysis of Social Service Providers in a Centralized System

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study adds to the understanding of the motivational differences between two pro-social sectors – public and nonprofit. The study analyzes employees’ responses collected in organizations that provide similar services (N = 371) and reveals that despite the relative novelty of the nonprofit sector in the studied country and associated unfavorable work conditions, the nonprofit employees on average remain more public service motivated than their public sector counterparts. The findings add to the previously supported theoretical propositions by suggesting that for the case of public service motivation, the sectoral motivational differences might be a stronger determinant than the administrative context of a state. Despite existing complications at work, nonprofit sector employees remain highly devoted to the cause. In addition, the study reveals several significant associations of public service motivation with the urban location of an organization, labor union membership, and professional experience abroad.