Experimental Evidence on the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and Job Performance

This article responds to recent calls for experimental research into the relationship between public service motivation (PSM) and job performance. The author conducted a field experiment with a sample of nurses at a public hospital in Italy to investigate the interplay between job performance, PSM, and two conditions: 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 that partially mediated the positive effects of beneficiary contact and self-persuasion on job performance. The implications of the experimental findings for theory and practice are discussed.