Motivation of Public Service Officials

© 2014 UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence

This paper is directed at practitioners, and pulls out key lessons based on evidence from selected research, underscoring the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and providing examples and principles to attract and retain motivated frontline public service officials. Anecdotes are gleaned from reports to help illustrate principles of motivation, the use of incentives, and their impact on outcomes.