%0 Journal Article
%T ˇ°Giving Something Back to Societyˇ±: A Study Exploring the Role of Reciprocity Norms in Public Service Motivation
%A Oliver Neumann
%J Review of Public Personnel Administration
%@ 1552-759X
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0734371X17698187
%X Public service motivation (PSM) is often conceived as a predominantly other-concerned type of motivation. This study challenges this notion by investigating the role of reciprocity norms, which are rooted in self-concern, as a determinant of PSM. Taking up a debate on whether PSM may be a manifestation of reciprocity vis-¨¤-vis society, I draw on a combination of psychological contract theory and social identity theory to substantiate previous theoretical linkages between these concepts. Using a sample of 205 Swiss police officers, I then empirically analyze the relationship between both positive and negative reciprocity norms and PSM. Thereby, I utilize societal identification, which is a prerequisite for the emergence of shared psychological contracts, as a moderator. Findings from moderated regression analyses support the theoretical arguments for the norm-based and affective but not the rational components of PSM. In sum, this study provides relevant insights into some of the self-concerned foundations of PSM
%K public service motivation
%K reciprocity norms
%K police
%K psychological contracts
%K social identity theory
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0734371X17698187