Public Service Motivation of Street- Level Bureaucrats Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Experiences in Implementation of an at-Home Vaccination Program

• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X221079242
• Date: 01 March 2022
• Published date: 01 March 2022
• Author: Beth M. Rauhaus
• Subject Matter: Field Notes

Public Service Motivation of

Street- Level Bureaucrats

Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic:

An Analysis of Experiences in

Implementation of an at-Home

Vaccination Program

Beth M. Rauhaus

Abstract

This article details public service motivation of emergency medical ser vices (EMS) personnel within

a local f‌ire department in Texas, as they implemented an at-home vaccination program, amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic. EMS personnel were surveyed and interviewed to learn more about their

professional experiences. Using mixed methods, this work f‌inds that EMS personnel in the local

department exhibit high levels of public service motivation in both deciding to participate in the

at-home vaccination program and throughout their experience in administering the vaccine to com-

munity members. This research offers insight local public servants’motives during a time of crisis

and while working in a new, innovative capacity.

Keywords

public service motivation, emergency medical services personnel, street-level bureaucrats

Introduction

During times of crisis, public servants and public

safety off‌icials have a unique opportunity to make

asignif‌icant impact in their community and to

their public organizations. The COVID-19 pan-

demic has presented new challenges to public

servants during times of crisis and the response

has been decentralized a great deal, allowing

state and local government entities to create and

utilize innovative methods to combat the corona-

virus within communities. The responses to the

pandemic have illustrated complexities of govern-

ing associated with federalism and have high-

lighted local governments’ability to work with

state and federal partners to ensure public health

and safety while having greater f‌lexibility or dis-

cretion (Benton 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic

has tested local government emergency prepared-

ness and many local governments with limited

Department of Social Sciences, Texas A&M University,

6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Corresponding Author:

Beth M. Rauhaus, Associate Professor of Public

Administration, MPA Program Coordinator, Department of

Social Sciences, Texas A&M University, 6300 Ocean Drive,

Corpus Christi, TX 78412.

Email: Beth.rauhaus@tamucc.edu

Field Notes

State and Local Government Review

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X221079242

journals.sagepub.com/home/slg

2022, Vol. 54(1) 82–91