Public Service Motivation or Sector Rewards? Two Studies on the Determinants of Sector Attraction

Abstract

Public sector organizations are competing with the private sector for highly qualified staff. But the public sector lost attraction as an employer of choice. Public service motivation (PSM) and different sector rewards have been identified as alternative drivers of sector attraction. However, it is still unclear to what extent PSM is associated with sector attraction, especially when controlling for a comprehensive set of sector rewards. We investigate this sector attraction puzzle through a meta-analysis (Study 1) focusing on the relation between PSM and sector attraction and primary data collected from 600 German final-year students (Study 2). The two studies aggregate the literature on PSM and sector attraction and produce unique empirical evidence. Thus, we extend the knowledge on the relationship between PSM and sector attraction across different settings and in Germany, which enables us to derive implications for public sector recruiters.