Experimental evidence on the relationship between public service motivation and job performance

This paper responds to recent calls for experimental research into the relationship between public service motivation (PSM) and job performance. We conducted a field experiment on a sample of nurses at a public hospital in Italy to investigate the interplay between job performance, PSM and two conditions – i.e. exposure to contact with beneficiaries and self-persuasion interventions. Both treatments had positive effects on participants’ persistence, output, productivity and vigilance. Baseline PSM strengthened these positive effects. Moreover, both conditions caused an increase in PSM, which partially mediated the positive effects of beneficiary contact and self-persuasion on job performance. We discuss the implications of our experimental findings for both theory and practice.