Mechanisms of Public Service Motivation Development Through Public Administration Education: A Four‐Year Panel Study in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Given that public human capital is critical to sustainable development, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms through which public administration education shapes the public service motivation of prospective civil servants, in either positive or negative ways. Data for this study come from a four‐wave panel of 363 Taiwanese undergraduate students majoring in public administration. Our analysis showed that a program curriculum that can successfully enhance students' administrative knowledge, deliver public values, and a learning environment that surrounds peers and faculty members who have the spirit of public service are relevant for the development of PSM. In contrast, curriculum designs that are closely aligned with national civil service examinations, a feature more common in East Asia, may inadvertently undermine the cultivation of PSM.