Toward an “Identity Turn” in Public Service Motivation Theory: A Problematizing Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

Since its inception, Public Service Motivation (PSM) has been recognized as a key driver of behavior in public institutions. Despite its prominence, skepticism has emerged. In response, research has primarily focused on empirical analysis and measurement refinement rather than on conceptual development. This conceptual path dependency has become problematic as mixed empirical results increasingly challenge core theoretical propositions of PSM theory. We argue that one potential cause lies in a dominant assumption shaping the field: its positioning within motivation theory. To address this, we conducted a problematizing review across concepts and disciplines, comparing how PSM is understood in Public Administration with related concepts–such as motivation, altruism, and identity–in Management, Psychology, Sociology, and Economics. Based on this analysis, we propose a novel theoretical framework that reconceptualizes PSM as a social identity. In doing so, we outline a research agenda that (i) revises PSM’s core conceptual features and develops a new measurement approach informed by identity theory; (ii) introduces new ways of understanding PSM's functioning through identity work theory; and (iii) situates PSM theory within the broader debate on the “identity turn” in motivation research, highlighting its potential contribution to this multidisciplinary discourse.