The Causal Effect of Public Service Motivation on Ethical Behavior in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey Experiment

Meyer-Sahling, Jan-Hinrik; Mikkelsen, Kim Sass; Schuster, Christian

Abstract

Public service motivation (PSM) and ethical behavior are central concerns in public administration. Yet, experimental evidence on the causes of ethical behavior and the causal effects of PSM remains scarce, curtailing our understanding of both. This article draws on a novel survey experimental design to improve this understanding. The design is based on a simple insight: asking about PSM can render salient PSM-oriented identities of respondents. By randomizing the order of PSM and outcome questions, PSM may be exogenously activated among survey respondents, and the causal effects of this activation assessed. Drawing on this design and a sample of over 5,000 Chilean central government employees—the largest experimental PSM survey sample to date—we find that PSM activation enhances willingness to report ethical problems to management. This provides the first experimental evidence that PSM may promote ethical behavioral intent, and suggests that activating public employees’ PSM can benefit public sector ethics.

Citation

Meyer-Sahling, J.-H., Mikkelsen, K. S., & Schuster, C. (2019). The Causal Effect of Public Service Motivation on Ethical Behavior in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey Experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 29(3), 445–459. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muy071

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 7, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 14, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-07
• Deposit Date: Jan 7, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
• Print ISSN: 1053-1858
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-9803
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 445–459
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muy071
• Keywords: Marketing; Sociology and Political Science; Public Administration
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1447484
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/jpart/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jopart/muy071/5245901
• Additional Information: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication inJournal of Public Administration Research and Theory following peer review. The version of record Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling, Kim Sass Mikkelsen, Christian Schuster; The Causal Effect of Public Service Motivation on Ethical Behavior in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey Experiment, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, , muy071 is available online at:https://academic.oup.com/jpart/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jopart/muy071/5245901.
• Contract Date: Jan 7, 2019