Public Service Motivation of Spanish High Civil Servants. Measurement and Effects

Abstract

This article presents the concept of public service motivation (PSM) in the Spanish context and its utility as a public management instrument to evaluate whether providers of public services are motivated by public values. The analysis checks the relation between PSM and two of the main attitudes, organizational commitment and job satisfaction, that the literature has considered likely consequences of having a high level of PSM. The results point to a positive relation between PSM and organizational commitment but not between PSM and job satisfaction. This type of research is highly applicable in the management of human resources.