The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 70: Public Service Motivation in an Ethnically Heterogeneous Society: Towards a New Conceptual Framework by Nadia H. Yashaiya and Abdillah Noh. Please see below for details.
Abstract: This exploratory study seeks to detail propositions and a conceptual framework that factor ethnic heterogeneity and exclusive institutions in determining public service motivation (PSM). Drawing on scholarly work on PSM, heterogeneity and institutions, our paper suggests that in assessing an individual’s PSM and chances of joining the public service, ethnic heterogeneity matters. It matters because while personal attributes – like education, personal values and identity, political beliefs, socialisation – are important in determining one’s public service motivation, they are not the sole determinants. As the paper highlights, an ethnically heterogeneous environment with the potential of producing numerous types of exclusive institutions can influence one’s perception of the public service, alter one’s motivation to serve in the public service or even eliminate one’s chances of joining the civil service.
Nadia H. Yashaiya was previously a Chevening fellow at the University of Oxford. She is currently a visiting fellow at the Centre for Advanced Research (CaRE), Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Nadia works at the intersection of human resource management and public policy. She has written two books. Her most recent one is titled Issues in Public Policy and Administration in Malaysia: An Institutional Analysis. Nadia obtained her PhD from the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Western Australia.
Abdillah Noh is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and International Studies. He works in the area of institutions and institutional change, which has taken him to examine issues on political economy, politics, and public policy. Abdillah recently co-authored a book titled Issues in Public Policy and Administration in Malaysia: An Institutional Analysis. He is currently working on two book manuscripts. The first is on the unintended consequences of Malaysia’s state formation, and the second is titled “Political Change in Southeast Asia: An Institutional Perspective.” Abdillah holds a DPhil (Politics) from St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
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