Formal and Informal Volunteering: A Matter of Altruism or Public Service Motivation?

In recent years, Public Service Motivation (PSM) research has grown substantially, but is still largely limited to the field of public administration. To be able to export the theory and measures of PSM to other disciplines,... [ view full abstract ]

In recent years, Public Service Motivation (PSM) research has grown substantially, but is still largely limited to the field of public administration. To be able to export the theory and measures of PSM to other disciplines, we need conceptual clarity. Some suggest PSM is analogous to altruism, whereas others warn not to confound the two concepts. We examine whether PSM is separate from altruism and how each motivational construct relates to volunteering. Using a nationality representative survey, we ask about PSM and altruism on the first wave and volunteering, both formal and informal on the second. We find that although PSM and altruism have some overlap, PSM is a distinct and is an even better predictor of volunteering than altruism. The complexity of volunteer motivation is best captured by PSM. Based on our comparison of formal and informal volunteering, we also propose formal institutions as a conceptual boundary for PSM.