Are Extrinsic Goals Detrimental to Public Service Motivation? A Panel Analysis Based in Taiwan

The relationship between utilitarian incentives and public service motivation (PSM) has long been a core issue in public administration research. Scholars have accumulated ample evidence regarding how the pursuit of monetary rewards can affect PSM, but we know relatively little about the effect of various non-monetary rewards on PSM. The pursuit of utilitarian incentives, in goal content theory (GCT), is referred to as extrinsic goals. The present study identifies multiple extrinsic and intrinsic goals and tests whether pursuing extrinsic goals relative to intrinsic goals compromises PSM. Regression results based on panel data collected from Taiwanese public servants in 2018 and 2019 render support to this proposition.