IRSPM SIG on PSM PhD-seminar

“Hard Questions about Public Service

Motivation”
Organized by the IRSPM Special Interest Group on Public Service Motivation
22-24 November 2018

At Utrecht University School of Governance, the Netherlands, in collaboration with the KPM
Center for Public Management at the University of Bern, Switzerland and the University of
Georgia School of Public and International Affairs in the USA.

Target audience :

PhD-students who study public service motivation as part of their doctoral research (as a
main focus or as an important variable in a broader perspective). No distinction is made
between 1st or later year PhD-students. Other researchers (non PhD-students) interested in
participating in the seminar should first contact the organizers.

Aim :

The purpose of this seminar is threefold. First, we want to reflect on difficult questions in
Public Service Motivation research that we have been faced with throughout our respective
careers and that PhD-students are bound to encounter at some point in time. These
questions concern conceptual and theoretical issues, as well as empirical or methodological
matters (What is public service motivation? What is the best way to measure it? How does it
relate to other types of motivation? How does it relate to other variables such as
performance or behavior? What is the role of institutions?...). Second, we will provide
feedback on research proposals or actual research of PhD-students regarding the study of
public service motivation (for their doctoral thesis or related ‘side-projects’). Third, we hope
to further develop the community of public service motivation researchers by bringing a new
generation of scholars together. By reflecting on and discussing these concerns with
students, we hope to share our experience and knowledge on the topic, and foster new
research.

Outline :

The seminar is divided into two parts. First, students will present their own work (a research
proposal or research paper) on the topic of public service motivation and receive our
feedback. Second, are general sessions on ‘hard questions about public service motivation’
that include discussion of key issues and developing strategies for resolving them.
23rd of November

10.00-11.30 Feedback on doctoral proposals

11.45-13.15 Feedback on doctoral proposals
13.15-13.45 Lunch
14.00-15.45 Feedback on doctoral proposals
16.00-17.45 Hard questions on PSM 1

19.00 Workshop dinner

24th of November

10.00-11.30 Hard questions on PSM 2

11.45-13.15 Hard questions on PSM 3
13.15-13.45 Lunch
14.00-15.45 Other business and closing remarks
Provisional outline

Practicalities :
The seminar is from 10.00 on the 23rd of November until 16.00 on the 24th of November. All
sessions take place at Bijlhouwerstraat 6, Utrecht. The fee for the seminar is 125 euro.
Included are 1-2 nights in a Utrecht Hotel, lunches, coffee breaks and one dinner (kindly
sponsored by the University of Bern and the University of Utrecht). Travel costs are at your
own expense. However, interested students who lack sufficient funding are encouraged to
contact us as soon as possible and we will explore possible solutions.

Register before the 25th of October by sending an e-mail to w.v.vandenabeele@uu.nl,

including your name, educational background, there university where you are enrolled, your
faculty supervisor’s name, and a one-page description of either your PhD-project or a
research paper on the topic of public service motivation. We aim to have a small-scale
seminar of 5 to 10 PhD-students in order to create maximum interaction. Notification of
acceptance will be sent before the end of October.

Organizers and contact details :

Gene A. Brewer, University of Georgia: geneabrewer@uga.edu

Adrian Ritz, University of Bern: adrian.ritz@kpm.unibe.ch

Wouter Vandenabeele, Utrecht University: W.V.Vandenabeele@uu.nl