ABSTRACT
This chapter builds on and extends previous research by supplying the first hard behavioral evidence to support the theory. It explores public-service motivation (PSM) to whistle blowing—an actual behavior that occurs in the public service. The chapter establishes a conceptual linkage between PSM and whistle blowing by comparing the respective literatures. It formulates and tests a set of hypotheses using archival data from a recent survey of federal employees, some of whom are whistle blowers. The chapter discusses the implications of this research for public managers and scholars. The idea of civil servants acting on motives of duty and self-sacrifice promotes a positive image of the public service. PSM is a cluster of attitudes toward performance of public service. The chapter argues that these attitudes lead to prosocial behaviors such as whistle blowing. It shows that whistle blowers have more PSM-related attitudes than inactive observers have, thereby providing evidence of this proposed relationship.
