Serving the Country or Serving Thyself: The Quest for Prosocial Motives of Russian MPA Students
| Author | Alexey G. Barabashev,Tamara G. Nezhina |
| Date | 01 March 2019 |
| Published date | 01 March 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0734371X16685601 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2017
Article
Review of Public Personnel Administration
2019, Vol. 39(1) 106 –134
Serving the Country or
© The Author(s) 2017
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Serving Thyself: The Quest
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https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X16685601
DOI: 10.1177/0734371X16685601
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for Prosocial Motives of
Russian MPA Students
Tamara G. Nezhina1 and Alexey G. Barabashev1
Abstract
U.S. and European scholars have established the association between work in
government and public service motivation (PSM). Yet, few studies measure PSM among
master of public administration (MPA) students and link it to their intention to work
in government. For the first time in Russia, the study tests the association between
culturally determined measures of prosocial motives of Russian MPA students and their
intention to work for government upon graduation. Three theoretical frameworks help
structuring this research: public administration, political trust, and volunteering. The data
in this study confirm that Russian MPA students with prosocial motives tend to choose
work in government. We explain this phenomenon by deriving the prosocial motive
theoretical perspective from the larger concept of PSM and from the theory of political
trust. In addition, the study finds that formal and informal volunteering is not related to
choosing work in government. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords
education/teaching personnel administration, international public personnel
administration, public service motivation, antecedents of government employment,
Russian MPA students motives, MPA program choice, trust in government, students
prosocial attitudes
Introduction
This study determines the effects of prosocial motives of Russian master of public
administration (MPA) students on their decision to work for the government upon
1National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
Corresponding Author:
Tamara G. Nezhina, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Myasnitskaya 20,
Moscow 101000, Russia.
Email: tgnezhina@hse.ru
Nezhina and Barabashev
107
graduation. Until now, no theory-based quantitative or qualitative research on the topic
has been published. This study poses and responds to the following questions: Why do
Russian MPA students enroll in MPA university programs, do MPA students trust pub-
lic institutions, do MPA students volunteer formally or informally, what are the remu-
neration expectations of MPA students upon graduation, and finally, do the MPA
students intend to work in government agencies upon graduation? The data in this
study suggest that Russian MPA students with prosocial motives tend to choose work
in government. We explain this phenomenon by deriving the prosocial motive theo-
retical perspective from the larger concept of public service motivation (PSM) and
from the theory of political trust. The PSM theory provides reference and support for
the selection of specific motivational categories, although we do not use the original
PSM scale in the Russian context.
In the United States, prosocial motives and behaviors are conceptualized as PSM
(Knoke & Wright-Isak, 1982; Perry & Wise, 1990; Rainey, 1982). The concepts of
PSM were tested, discussed and expanded in consecutive studies (Brewer & Selden,
1998; Perry, 1996, 1997, 2010; Perry & Hondeghem, 2008; Perry, Hondeghem, &
Wise, 2010; etc.). Furthermore, the PSM concepts have been tested for relevance by
international researchers (Kim, 2009; Kim et al., 2013; Kim & Kim 2016; Lee &
Choi, 2016; Liu et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2011; van Der Wal, 2015; Vandenabeele,
2008). The PSM theory maintains that the motivation of public employees is differ-
ent from that of private employees because of the different nature of these two insti-
tutions (Perry et al., 2010). Some international studies determined that in different
cultural contexts, the PSM measures were not as straightforward as they seemed to
be in the United States and other Western cultures (Kim & Kim, 2016; Kim et al.,
2013; Liu & Perry, 2016; Moynihan & Pandey, 2007). Moynihan and Pandey (2007)
argued, “. . . PSM may be formed by sociohistorical factors before employees enter
the organization . . .” (p. 42). This statement highlights the cultural and historical
context of public administration and illuminates our study of MPA students’ proso-
cial motivation effects.
The goal of our study is to determine predictors for government employment upon
graduation from the MPA program in Russia. Following the PSM philosophy, we
hypothesize that Russian students with high public benefit motivation are more likely
to choose government work over private sector employment. In the course of survey
building and testing, we determined that several PSM measures do not squarely apply
in the Russian context. Therefore, we do not use the PSM scales in our study, but we
organize our study with regard to two PSM motivation categories, rational and affec-
tive. Our study accounts for specific Russian circumstances, namely, the transition
from socialism into capitalism. The transitional phase suggests that old moral impera-
tives and values crumble while new ones are still forming. This creates a level of
uncertainty about what is right and what is wrong among the young. For that reason,
our survey measures are different from PSM, yet the spirit of public motivation is
incorporated in culture-sensitive questions.
Few studies in the world of public administration investigate the association
between prosocial motives and employment intentions of MPA students. Our study
108
Review of Public Personnel Administration 39(1)
confirms the presence of prosocial motives and their effects on employment decisions
of Russian MPA students. Research results are useful for universities and external
constituencies. The study informs MPA program directors on the enrollment motiva-
tion of future students and suggests further curriculum development. The study results
help university career advisers learn about students’ motivation and improve career
planning and counseling. A government employment office receives information to
develop better selection criteria. Potentially, it will help new students make informed
decisions about the university programs.
Background
The study of MPA students’ prosocial motivation and the relationship to the public
office employment is the first in Russia. Degree in the field of public administration is
new to Russian universities. Four prominent Russian universities have established
public administration (PA) programs in 1993. MPA-specific education standards were
formulated in 1995. These standards established the generalist management approach
to PA curriculum to attract more students to a new discipline. As a result, the curricu-
lum includes many general education and management courses that determine the
broad application of knowledge to suit both government and business jobs. The effect
of broadening the PA curriculum was that some students entered the program to study
management rather than PA. Modern students often do not stay loyal to the diploma
specialization. The protean career model holds that individuals who enjoy learning on
the job might choose a different career option than the area in which they feel compe-
tent (Tschirhart, Reed, Freeman, & Anker, 2008).
In 2000, Russian universities started joining the Bologna Declaration, and only in
2010-2011, new standards fixed the two-tier education system, bachelor’s and mas-
ter’s degrees. Only then, the specialty “Public Administration” has become recognized
as an independent discipline (Barabashev & Kastrel, 2013). Currently, government
recruiters in Russia require a graduate diploma and do not require the MPA degree for
public office employment. The MPA programs at Russian universities have a negligi-
ble number of in-service students. Currently, MPA graduates are employed in public
agencies and private companies.
Russian students enroll in MPA programs after completing BA programs with no
work experience. Only recently, researchers in Russia started debating the educational
content of PA programs and students’ inclination to work for government (Barabashev
& Maslennikova, 2010; Myasoedov, 2011). In Russia, it is paramount to improve
recruitment to government offices by attracting publicly spirited young people with
relevant education, prosocial motives, and high ethical standards. Our empirical quan-
titative research of Russian students’ prosocial motives and employment choices con-
tributes to understanding MPA students’ choices and intentions.
Russian MPA programs admit graduate students with no information on their social
and psychological suitability to the program or their motivation to serve the public. In
this study, we refer to motivation as a process that guides individual choices of stu-
dents among different educational and employment opportunities (Vroom, 1964).
Nezhina and Barabashev
109
Internationally, research on MPA program choice and MPA students’ employment
intentions is also limited, but steadily growing. Recently, international researchers
found limitations for the application of PSM measures in culturally diverse countries
(Barsoum, 2016; S. Kim & Kim, 2016; S. Kim et al., 2013; Lee & Choi, 2016; Liu &
Perry, 2016), but the idea to study...
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