Chinese motivation for a public service career

What is it about?

Motivations for choosing a public service career have long been a core issue in public administration research. This study focuses on China. Using the self-determination theory (SDT) as the basic framework, we revise Chen et al.’s scale which captures multiple motivations for a public service career (MPSC). We then validate the revised scale with responses from a questionnaire. The results show five distinct dimensions of MPSC, and all of them are associated with work-related attitudes and perceptions in different ways. In the conclusion, we discuss the theoretical and practical contributions of this study.

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Why is it important?

Giving the increasing research interests in public employees' behaviors and motivations, this study provides fresh instruments to investigate Chinese people's unique career motivations in public services.