Iraq’s tough governance setting: Examining the importance of self-sacrifice over institutions to public service motivation
Issue Date
2019-09-01Author
Alobaydi, Dhirgham
Johnson, Bonnie J.
Templin, Jonathan
Publisher
Intellect
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, author accepted manuscript
Rights
© Alobaydi, Dhirgham; Johnson, Bonnie J.; Templin, Jonathan, 2019.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Public service motivation (PSM) is understudied within ‘tough governance settings’ such Iraq’s, as it transitioned from dictatorship to democracy amidst civil unrest. Debates surrounding a universal construct of PSM currently focus on whether a love of public institutions is an essential component, or if measures of self-sacrifice will suffice. Results from a multidimensional PSM measure previously utilized in western settings are used here in Iraq. The results demonstrate that items from typical PSM dimensions remain in the model, but the pro-social, self-sacrifice dimension is the only reliable subscale. Reinforcing a pro-social foundation of PSM, a pro-social unidimensional measure fits the data well and respondents themselves define ‘public service’ in pro-social terms. Showing little connection to institutions, PSM in Iraq correlates with public servants determining the public interest based on their knowledge of their communities and of citizens and less on professional expertise, adopted plans or on guidance from elected officials. Contrary to reports of a divided Iraq, PSM scores are similar across regions. These insights have implications for PSM measurement, governance choices in developing countries, and comparative public administration research.
Description
©Alobaydi, Dhirgham; Johnson, Bonnie J.; Templin, Jonathan, 2019. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World, Volume 13, Numbers 2-3, pp. 181-203(23), 2019, https://doi.org/10.1386/jciaw_00007_1.
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Citation
Alobaydi, Dhirgham, Bonnie J. Johnson, and Jonathan Templin. 2019. "Iraq's tough governance setting: Examining the importance of self-sacrifice over institutions to public service motivation." Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World 13 (2-3):181-203. doi: 10.1386/jciaw_00007_1.
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