The Relationship Between Public Service Values and Administrative Involvement in Policymaking

Abstract

This study empirically examines the relationship between public service values and city managers’ involvement in policymaking in an effort to uncover which values are more instrumental in encouraging city managers to engage in particular areas of policymaking. The data for this study were collected from a national sample of city managers across the United States in 2011. This study employs factor and regression analyses. The results show that public service values such as knowledge, collaboration, fiscal realism, and stewardship encourage city managers to get involved in a greater number of areas of the policymaking process. The findings are discussed in light of the contemporary public administration literature with implications for public affairs education.