16.04.2014
SU14 Public Service Employees: Motives, Motivation, and Causal Effects
COURSE PLAN AND READINGS
Mogens Jin Pedersen
Office hours: after class (by appointment)
Phone: (+45) 3348 0864
E-mail: mjp@sfi.dk
mogens@ps.au.dk
Class hours: 12.00-15.00 (Mon. and Wed.), 9.00-12.00 (Fri.)
Course Objective
This course is designed to provide an overview of theories and findings on public employees’
motivation, with particular emphasis on the effect of employee motivation on performance.
Specifically, we will discuss and contrast prevalent motivation theories and findings at the course
sessions. What do these theories tell us, in general and in relation to effects? On this basis, how
can we understand the motives and motivations fueling and directing employee effort and
performance? Importantly, however, the identification of causal effects in the social sciences is
paved with difficulty. A substantial part of the course therefore involves a basic, mostly nonmathematical introduction to effect estimation and analysis. The focus is on encouraging an
intuitive understanding of different methods for analyzing causal effects and their strengths and
weakness, and not on the underlying econometrics. By the end of the course, the participants are
thus expected to have gained a substantial knowledge of theories and findings in relation to public
employees’ motivation and the effect of motivation on performance—while simultaneously being
able to assess the qualities of existing studies and research designs, and how a given study may
possibly be improved. Active course participation is expected.
1
COURSE PLAN
Session
1 (W29)
Time and Date
Wed., July 16
12.00–14.00
Topics
 Introduction and Course
Plan
 Context: Why Bother?
 Work Motivation Theory:
An Introduction
 Designing Research
 The Basics of Effects and
Endogenity
2 (W30)
Mon., July 21
12.00–15.00
3 (W30)
Wed., July 23
12.00–15.00


The Experimental Ideal
Experiments: Examples
and Limitations
4 (W30)
Fri., July 25
9.00–12.00


OLS Regression Recap
Exercise: Assessing Work
Motivation Studies
5 (W31)
Mon., July 28
12.00–15.00

Public Service Motivation
(PSM)
(+Person-Environment Fit
Theory)
(+Institutional PSM
Theory)


6 (W31)
Wed., July 30
12.00–15.00




Self-Determination
Theory (SDT)
(+Crowding Theory)
(+Self-Concept Theory)
(+Social Identity Theory)
7 (W31)
Fri., Aug. 1
9.00–12.00



Goal Setting Theory
(+Self-Efficacy)
(+Commitment)
8 (W32)
Mon., Aug. 4
12.00–15.00

Other Methods for Causal
Analysis
9 (W32)
Wed., Aug. 6
12.00–15.00

PSM-Performance:
Empirical Studies
2
Course Readings
Wilson (1887), 27
Eisenhardt (1989), 19
Le Grand (2010), 17
Steers, Mowday, Shapiro (2004), 10
Dinibutun (2012), 8
Munck and Verkuilen (2005), 11
Meier and O’Toole (2012), 28
Meier and O’Toole (2013), 28
Bhattacharjee (2013), 11
Angrist and Pishcke (2009), preface + ch.
1&2, 32
Snow (1855), 139
Gerber, Green, Larimer (2008), 17
Heinrich (2007), 24
Hutcheson (2011), 4
Sykes (1992), 33
Lalonde (1986), 18
Salleh et al. (2011), 8
Oleyseyi and Ayo (2009), 11
Roe et al. (2000), 30
Brewer and Brewer (2011), 16
Perry and Wise (1990), 8
Perry and Hondeghem (2008), 11
Perry (1996), 19
Steijn (2008), 16
Perry (1997), 18
Vandenabeele (2008), 17
Vandenabeele (2007), 13
Wright and Grant (2010), 11
Ryan and Deci (2000), 14
Gagne and Deci (2005), 32
Tremblay et al. (2009), 14
Fernet et al. (2008), 24
Frey and Jegen (2001), 23
Shamir, House, Arthur 1993), 19
Hogg, Terry, White (1995), 16
Knippenberg (2000), 15
Locke and Latham (2006), 4
Locke and Latham (1990), 8
Wright (2007), 11
Klein et al. (1999), 15
Bandura (1977), 25
Schlotter, Schwerdt, Woessman (2011), 30
Buddelmeyer, McVicar, Wooden (2013),
43
Becker and Woesman (2009), 67
Naff and Crum (1999), 13
Frank and Lewis (2004), 17
Alonso and Lewis (2001), 19
Andersen, Heinesen, Pedersen (2014), 21
Belle (2013), 11
pp.
63
96
212
120
113
157
63
140
81
10
(W32)
Fri., Aug. 8
9.00–12.00


11
(W33)
Mon., Aug. 11
12.00–15.00


11
(W33)
Wed., Aug. 13,
12.00-13.00



SDT-Performance:
Empirical Studies
Goal SettingPerformance: Empirical
Studies
Summing Up and So
What?
Revisiting Previous
Themes // Ideas for
Causal Effect Research
About the Exam
Q&A
Reserved for more Q&A
(just in case)
Baard, Deci, Ryan (2004), 24
Burton et al. (2006), 13
Deci (1971), 11.
Pritchard, Campbell, Campbell (1977), 7
Chun and Rainey (2005), 29
Welsh and Ordonez (2014), 11
Grant (2008), 17
Perry, Hondeghem, Wise (2010), 10
Latham, Borgogni, Pettitta (2008), 19
Moynihan and Pandey (2007), 14
113
-
-
43
LITTERATURE
Total pages: 1201
Below is a full list of the readings for each course session. Some of the texts are essential
readings, others are supplementary. Extensive reading of some of the texts will be delegated
among the course participants. We will talk more about this in class.
Unless stated otherwise (by hyperlink or text), all articles are available for free download at
Statsbiblioteket, AU Library. We will read an excerpt from Angrist and Pischke (2009). A
hardcopy of the book will be made available for possible copying.
Session 1
Wilson, W. 1887. The Study of Administration. Political Science Quarterly 2:197-222.
Eisenhardt, K. M. 1989. Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review. The Academy of
Management Review 14:57-74.
Le Grand, J. 2010. Knights and Knaves Return: Public Service Motivation and the Delivery of
Public Services. International Public Management Journal 13:57-71.
Session 2
Steers, R. M., R. T. Mowday, and D. L. Shapiro. 2004. The Future of Work Motivation Theory.
The Academy of Management Review 29:379-387.
Dinibutun, S. R. 2012. Work Motivation: Theoretical Framework. Journal of GSTF Business
Review 1:133-139.
Munck, G. L., and J. Verkuilen. 2005. Research Designs. pp. 385-95, In K. Kempf-Leonard
(ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Measurement Vol. 3, 385-95. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Downloadable at: http://ebookbrowsee.net/munck-verkuilen-researchdesign-2005-pdfd77913908
3
Meier, K. J., and L. J. O’Toole, Jr. 2012. Subjective Organizational Performance and
Measurement Error: Common Source Bias and Spurious Relationships. Journal of Public
Administration Research and Theory 23:429-56.
Meier, K. J., and L. J. O’Toole, Jr. 2013. I Think (I Am Doing Well), Therefore I Am: Assessing
the Validity of Administrators’ Self-Assessments of Performance. International Public
Management Journal 16:1-27.
Bhattacharjeem Y. 2013. The Mind of a Con Man. The New York Times, April 26. Found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/magazine/diederik-stapels-audacious-academicfraud.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Session 3
Angrist, J. D., and J. Pischke. 2009. Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist’s
Companion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Preface + ch. 1 + ch. 2.
Snow, J. 1855. On the Mode of Communication of Cholera. London, UK: John Churchill. Found
at: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/snowbook.html (click links at left, “part 2/3/4,” to get
the full contents, i.e., pp. 1-139).
Gerber, A. S., D. P. Green, and C. W. Larimer. 2008. Social Pressure and Voter Turnout:
Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment. American Political Science Review 102:3348.
Heinrich, C. J. 2007. Evidence-Based Policy and Performance Management: Challenges and
Prospects in Two Parallel Movements. American Review of Public Administration 37:255277.
Session 4
Hutcheson, G. D. (2011). Ordinary Least-Squares Regression. In L. Moutinho and G. D.
Hutcheson (eds.), The SAGE Dictionary of Quantitative Management Research, 224-228.
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. Downloadable at: http://www.researchtraining.net/addedfiles/READING/SAGEdictionaryOLSregression.pdf
Sykes, A. O. 1992. An Introduction to Regression Analysis. 1992 Coase Lecture. Downloadable
at: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/files/20.Sykes_.Regression_0.pdf
LaLonde, R. J. 1986. Evaluating the Econometric Evaluations of Training Programs with
Experimental Data. The American Economic Review 76:604-620.
Salleh, F., Z. Dzulkifli, W. A. W. Abdullah, and N. H. M. Yakoob. The Effect of Motivation on
Job Performance of State Government Employees in Malaysia. International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science 1:147-54. Downloadable at:
http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol._1_No._4;_April_2011/19.pdf
Oluseyi, S. A., and H. T. Ayo. 2009. Influence of Work Motivation, Leadership Effectiveness
and Time Management of Employees’ Performance in Some Selected Industries in Ibadan,
Oyo State, Nigeria. European Journal of Economics, Finance, and Administrative Sciences
16:7-17. Download will be available at Blackboard.
Roe, R. A., I. L. Zinovieva, E. Dienes, and L. A. Ten Horn. 2000. A Comparison of Work
Motivation in Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Netherlands: Test of a Model. Applied Psychology:
An International Review 49:658-87.
4
Brewer, G. A., and G. A. Brewer, Jr. 2011. Parsing Public/Private Differences in Work
Motivation and Performance: An Experimental Study. Journal of Public Administration
Research and Theory 21:347-62.
Session 5
Perry, J. L., and L. R. Wise. 1990. The Motivational Bases of Public Service. Public
Administration Review 50:367-373.
Perry, J. L., and A. Hondeghem. 2008. Building Theory and Empirical Evidence about Public
Service Motivation. International Public Management Journal 11:3-12.
Perry, J. L. 1996. Measuring Public Service Motivation: An Assessment of Construct Reliability
and Validity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 6:5-22.
Steijn, B. 2008. Person-Environment Fit and Public Service Motivation. International Public
Management Journal 11:13-27.
Perry, J. L. 1997. Antecedents of Public Service Motivation. Journal of Public Administration
Research and Theory 7:181-197.
Vandenabeele, W. 2008. Government Calling: Public Service Motivation as an Element of
Selecting Government as an Employer of Choice. Public Administration 86:1089-1105.1
Vandenabeele, W. 2007. Toward a Public Administration Theory of Public Service Motivation:
An Institutional Approach. Public Management Review 9:545-56.
Wright, B. E., and A. M. Grant. 2010. Unanswered Questions about Public Service Motivation:
Designing Research to Address Key Issues of Emergence and Effects. Public Administration
Review 70:691-700.
Session 6
Ryan, R. M., and E. L. Deci. 2000. Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary
Educational Psychology 25:54-67.
Gagne, M., and E. L. Deci. 2005. Self-Determination Theory and Work Motivation. Journal of
Organizational Behavior 26:331-362.
Tremblay, M. A., C. M. Blanchard, S. Taylor, L. G. Pelletier, and M. Villeneuve. 2009. Work
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale: Its Value for Organizational Psychology Research.
Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science 41:213-26.
Fernet, C., C. Senecal, F. Guay, H. Marsh, and M. Dowson. 2008. The Work Tasks Motivation
Scale for Teachers (WTMST). Journal of Career Assessment 16:256-79.
Frey, B. S., and R. Jegen. 2001. Motivation Crowding Theory. Journal of Economic Surveys
15:589-611.
Shamir, B., R. J. House, and Michael B. Arthur. 1993. The Motivational Effects of Charismatic
Leadership: A Self-Concept Based Theory. Organization Science 4:577-594.1
Hogg, M. A., D. J. Terry, and K. M. White. 1995. A Tale of Two Theories: A Critical
Comparison of Identity Theory with Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly
58:255-269.
Knippenberg, D. 2000. Work Motivation and Performance: A Social Identity Perspective.
Applied Psychology: An International Review 49:357-71.
5
Session 7
Locke, E. A., and G. P. Latham. 2006. New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory. Current
Directions in Psychological Science 15:265-68.
Locke, E. A., and G. P. Latham. 1990. Work Motivation and Satisfaction: Light at the End of the
Tunnel. Psychological Science 1:240-46.
Wright, B. E. 2007. Public Service Motivation: Does Mission Matter? Public Administration
Review 67:54-64.
Klein, H. J., M. J. Wesson, J. R. Hollenback, and B. J. Alge. 1999. Goal Commitment and the
Goal-Setting Process: Conceptual Clarification and Empirical Synthesis. Journal of Applied
Psychology 84:885-96.
Bandura, A. 1977. Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behaviroal Change.
Psychological Review 84:191-215.
Session 8
Schlotter, M., G. Schwerdt, and L. Woessman. 2011. Econometric Methods for Causal
Evaluation of Education Policies and Practices: A Non-Technical Guide. Education
Economics 19:109-37.
Buddelmeyer, H., D. McVicar, and M. Wooden. 2013. Non-Standard ‘Contingent’ Employment
and Job Satisfaction: A Panel Data Analysis. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7590. Downloadable
at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2325848&download=yes
Becker, S. O., and O. Woessman. 2009. Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of
Protestant Economic History. Quarterly Journal of Economics 124:531-96.
Session 9
Naff, K. C., and J. Crum. 1999. Working for America: Does Public Service Motivation Make a
Difference? Review of Public Personnel Administration 19:5-16.
Frank, S. A., and G. B. Lewis. 2004. Government Employees: Working Hard or Hardly
Working? American Review of Public Administration 34:36-51.
Alonso, P., and G. B. Lewis. 2001. Public Service Motivation and Job Performance: Evidence
from the Federal Sector. ? American Review of Public Administration 31:363-80.
Andersen, L. B., E. Heinesen, and L. H. Pedersen. 2014 How Does Public Service Motivation
among Teachers Affect Student Performance in Schools? Journal of Public Administration
Research and Theory. Published online: January 29, 2014. doi: 10.1093/jopart/mut082.
Downloadable at: http://jpart.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/01/28/jopart.mut082
Belle, N. 2013. Experimental Evidence on the Relationship between Public Service Motivation
and Job Performance. Public Administration Review 73:143-53.
Session 10
Baard, P. P., E. L. Deci, and R. M. Ryan. 2004. Intrinsic Need Satisfaction: A Motivational Basis
of Performance and Well-Being in Two Work Settings. Journal of Applied Psychology
34:2045-68.
Burton, K. D., J. E. Lydon, D. U. D’Alessandro, and R. Koestner. 2006. The Differential Effects
of Intrinsic and Identified Motivation on Well-Being and Performance: Prospective,
6
Experimental, and Implicit Approaches to Self-Determination Theory. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology 91:750-762.
Deci, E. L. 1971. Effects of Externally Mediated Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology 18:105-115.
Pritchard, R. D., K. M. Campbell, and D. J. Campbell. 1977. Effects of Extrinsic Financial
Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation. Journal of Applied Psychology 62:9-15.
Chun, Y. H., and H. G. Rainey. 2005. Goal Ambiguity and Organizational Performance in U.S.
Federal Agencies. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 15:1-30.
Welsh, D. T., and L. D. Ordonez. 2014. The Dark Side of Consecutive High Performance Goals:
Linking Goal Setting, Depletion, and Unethical Behavior. Organizational Behavior and
Human Decision Processes 123:79-89.
Grant. A. M. 2013. The Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational
Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions. Journal of Applied Psychology 93:108-24.
Session 11
Perry, J. L., A. Hondeghem, and L. R. Wise. 2010. Revisiting the Motivational Bases of Public
Service: Twenty Years of Research and an Agenda for the Future. Public Administration
Review 70:681-90.
Latham, G. P., L. Borgogni, and L. Petita, 2008. Goal Setting and Performance Management in
the Public Sector. International Public Management Journal 11:385-403.
Moynihan, D. P., and S. K. Pandey. 2007. The Role of Organizations in Fostering Public Service
Motivation. Public Administration Review 67:40-53.
7