Not Available for Download
Add Paper to My Library
Permalink
Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely
Copy URL

'Public Service Motivation' as an Argument for Government Provision

Posted: 22 Dec 2000

See all articles by Patrick Francois

Patrick Francois

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Economics

Abstract

A public service motivation (PSM) inclines employees to provide effort out of concern for the impact of that effort on a valued social service. Though deemed to be important in the literature on public administration, this motivation has not been formally considered by economists. When a PSM exists, this paper establishes conditions under which government bureaucracy can better obtain PSM motivated effort from employees than a standard profit maximizing firm. The model also provides an efficiency rationale for low-powered incentives in both bureaucracies and other organizations producing social services.

Keywords: Privatization; Bureaucracy; Public service motivation

JEL Classification: H11, H42, J45, J32

Suggested Citation

Francois, Patrick, 'Public Service Motivation' as an Argument for Government Provision. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=252528

Patrick Francois (Contact Author)

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Economics ( email )

997-1873 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Canada

Not Available for Download

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Place Job Opening

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
2,402
PlumX Metrics

Related eJournals