{"title":"Advancing the Sustainability Development Goals Through Workforce Professionalization in Public Procurement: The Case of Lebanon","authors":"Imane Hijal-Moghrabi","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261478777","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261478777","url":null,"abstract":"A capable public sector workforce is essential for sustainable development. In public procurement, the ability of procurement reform to support Sustainable Development Goals depends on a workforce with the competencies and professional standing needed to translate reform into administrative practice. Drawing on Institutional Theory and strategic PHRM, this study examines how workforce professionalization in public procurement is being constructed and institutionalized in Lebanon under Public Procurement Law No. 244 of 2021. Using a document-based qualitative case study, the study analyzes legal documents, technical reports, competency frameworks, and training materials produced between 2020 and 2025. The findings show that workforce professionalization in public procurement advanced through competency frameworks, certification initiatives, and professional training systems. However, workforce professionalization remains unevenly embedded across the civil service system. The study contributes to strategic public HRM and procurement governance scholarship and offers insight into workforce professionalization in governance-constrained settings in the Global South.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148858817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Serving the Public as Civil Servants or Citizens? Public Employees’ Exposure to Public Participation, Job Satisfaction, and Volunteering","authors":"Tipeng Chen","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261481363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261481363","url":null,"abstract":"Public employees serve the public interest through their work and extend this commitment through volunteerism. However, it remains unclear what motivates them to volunteer when professional roles already fulfill intrinsic prosocial motivations. Drawing on theories from multiple life domains and public service motivation, this study examines how public sector workplace experiences, specifically exposure to public participation and job satisfaction, are associated with volunteering behavior. Using cross-sectional, nationally representative survey data from U.S. local government managers, this study finds that the relationships vary by individuals’ prior volunteering status. Among non-volunteers, higher levels of public participation exposure and job satisfaction are both associated with a greater probability of initiating volunteering. Among current volunteers, lower levels are associated with greater time devoted to volunteering, whereas higher levels are linked to volunteering across a wider range of domains. Job satisfaction negatively moderates the relationship between public participation exposure and volunteering intensity. This study extends conventional understanding of public employee volunteering beyond public service motivation and sector differences by demonstrating a contingent work–volunteerism association, offering practical insights into managing workplace experiences to sustain public service both within and beyond organizational boundaries.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148877303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Political Upheaval and Bureaucratic Behavior: Quasi-Experimental Evidence for Public Sector HRM","authors":"Rizwan Khair, Hasan Muhammad Baniamin","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261456288","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261456288","url":null,"abstract":"This study employs a quasi-experimental pre–post research design, exploiting a political uprising in Bangladesh as an exogenous shock to examine its effects on the organizational behaviors of public servants. Drawing on a unique pre- and post-uprising survey, the study categorizes bureaucratic behaviors into situational and dispositional responses. The findings show that political instability primarily disrupts context-dependent organizational dynamics (situational), while core individual values (dispositional) remain comparatively stable. Situational behaviors, such as job satisfaction and inter-service relationships, decline significantly following the regime change due to heightened uncertainty, role ambiguity, and job insecurity. In contrast, dispositional behaviors, such as Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), remain resilient, suggesting that deeply internalized values are less vulnerable to political disruptions. By distinguishing between situational and dispositional behaviors, the study contributes to understanding bureaucratic resilience during political crises and offers practical implications for public-sector human resource management following political upheaval.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"273 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148401027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jolien Muylaert, Isabeau Van Strydonck, Adelien Decramer, Mieke Audenaert
{"title":"The Hidden Costs of Red Tape: Exploring the Physical Toll of Red Tape on Teachers","authors":"Jolien Muylaert, Isabeau Van Strydonck, Adelien Decramer, Mieke Audenaert","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261460425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261460425","url":null,"abstract":"When rules impose compliance burdens that outweigh their contribution to teachers’ objectives or values, they are experienced as <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\"> red tape</jats:italic> . Given red tape’s negative consequences, it is concerning that teachers worldwide report being confronted with high levels of red tape in their jobs. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources theory and Affective Events Theory, this study investigates the relationship between teachers’ red tape perceptions and physical complaints (e.g., neck pain and headaches). Specifically, we explore the mediating role of work-related anger in this relationship and investigate whether servant leadership moderates the negative effects of red tape. We collected time-lagged data from 717 teachers in Flemish schools. Structural Equation Modeling revealed a positive relationship between red tape and physical complaints, mediated by work-related anger. Furthermore, the results indicate that when teachers perceive their school leader as a servant leader, work-related anger is less affected by red tape, which indirectly reduces their physical complaints.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148393981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Empowering Employability for a Sustainable Future: How HR Practices Support Workers with Disabilities in the Public Sector in the Netherlands","authors":"Laura van Os, Jasmijn van Harten, Paul Boselie","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261457897","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261457897","url":null,"abstract":"The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize inclusive economic growth (SDG 8) and reduced inequalities (SDG 10), including equal employment opportunities for workers with disabilities (WWDs). Despite international and national efforts, WWDs still face barriers to labor market participation. Public sector organizations are expected to lead in inclusive HRM but often lag behind in employing WWDs, raising concerns about their ability to contribute to the SDGs. Using Social Exchange Theory and Self Determination Theory, we examine how three HR practices of training and development, workplace accommodations, and establishing clear expectations affect the employability of 313 WWDs in a Dutch public sector organization. Survey data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and regression-based mediation analysis. Findings show that HR practices primarily impact employability mediated through basic psychological needs satisfaction, with limited direct effects. This study offers empirical insights on how inclusive HRM in the public sector can advance the SDGs.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148342042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Civil Servants’ Awareness of Government Performance on the SDGs: The Role of Public Service Motivation and Organizational Commitment","authors":"Don S. Lee, Mireusae Kim, Soonae Park","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261454322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261454322","url":null,"abstract":"One of the major barriers to the national government achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is civil servants’ lack of awareness of the SDGs’ importance and of a clear understanding of how to link between their organizational goals and the SDGs. In this article, we examine to what extent civil servants are aware of SDGs-implementation performance by illuminating the role of their public service motivation (PSM) and organizational commitment. We hypothesize that civil servants with higher PSM and organizational commitment will be better aware of SDGs implementation performance, showing a smaller gap between the actual performance in accomplishing the SDGs and their perception of it. Leveraging the original data from surveys with 2,161 civil servants in South Korea combined with the performance data from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), our analysis strongly supports our predictions. An increase from the observed median to maximum values of PSM and organizational commitment, respectively, leads to 1.43- and 1.5-times greater awareness of SDGs-implementation performance among civil servants. Our findings have important implications: strengthening PSM and organizational commitment can play a central role in increasing civil servants’ awareness of SDGs-implementation performance and ultimately facilitating the achievement of the SDGs.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148335891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Federal Employee Engagement and Pay Perceptions: Testing Bakker et al.’s Prediction","authors":"Xiaochun Zhu","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261444660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261444660","url":null,"abstract":"Employee engagement has emerged as a critical area of interest within public management. Scholars recently proposed that engagement may exhibit a curvilinear relationship with positive outcomes. Previous research posits that greater effort on the job increases employees’ appreciation for pay equity, which, in the public sector, is defined by three components: equal pay for equal work, market-based pay, and performance-based pay. Using Merit Principles Survey data, this study finds that as employees become more engaged, their perceived importance of these three components remains relatively unchanged or even declines—until a certain threshold of engagement is reached. Beyond this point, the perceived importance of pay equity increases significantly. These findings offer an empirical response to Bakker et al.’s call for research on nonlinear engagement effects and refine the conventional view that greater effort is consistently associated with stronger concerns for pay equity.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148290215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Double Edge of Public Service Motivation: Promoting and Preventing Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior Through Organizational Identification and Ethical Leadership","authors":"Jiyun Baek, Yousueng Han","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261438161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261438161","url":null,"abstract":"This study develops and tests an integrated model explaining both the promotion and suppression of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) driven by public service motivation (PSM). While PSM is typically viewed as prosocial, growing research on the PSM’s dark side suggests that it may unintentionally foster UPB by strengthening organizational identification (OI). Drawing on the Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS) theory, this study incorporates ethical leadership (EL) as a contextual moderator that shapes when OI increases or suppresses UPB. Using survey data from Korean public employees, results show that PSM enhances OI, which subsequently promotes UPB. However, EL significantly weakens both the direct effect of OI on UPB and the indirect pathway from PSM to UPB via OI. These findings advance understanding of the dual-function mechanism of PSM by integrating motivational, identity-based, and leadership factors, offering a more comprehensive explanation of when public servants’ prosocial motives lead to ethical versus unethical outcomes.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"249 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148290304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does Telework Always Reduce Work-Family Conflict? Examining the Moderating Roles of Gender","authors":"Ju Won Park","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261441326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261441326","url":null,"abstract":"Telework research has gained significant attention in the wake of the global pandemic. Existing studies in public management generally suggest that telework reduces work-family conflict. However, drawing on conservation of resources and social role theory, we propose that the effects of telework on work-family conflict vary based on the gender of the teleworkers. Using survey data from Korean government employees, we find that telework can help public employees mitigate work–family conflict, but its benefits do not extend equally to women. Specifically, telework is negatively associated with men’s perceptions of work–family conflict, while women report no reduction in such conflict.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148291405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Street-Level Turnover, Human Resource Policy Reforms, and Outcomes in Complex Public Organizations","authors":"Anita Dhillon","doi":"10.1177/0734371x261441821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x261441821","url":null,"abstract":"The public sector is experiencing a hiring crisis. This challenge is particularly evident in organizations that manage complex service delivery while facing sustained high turnover rates. Such organizations have, therefore, implemented multiple policy changes to improve employee stability with a limited understanding of how they affect retention and performance. This study analyzes 9 years of child welfare services data from one U.S. state to explore the relationship between frontline turnover and service outcomes, while accounting for the broader influence of professional identity and workforce capacity. The results show that the turnover-outcome relationship was weak and contingent on goal proximity. Additionally, a hiring policy change to address turnover by expanding the labor pool but ignoring professional identity further exacerbated human capital instability. The paper highlights the need to consider policy context and potential effects on professional identity when implementing changes to address turnover and encourage retention in complex public organizations.","PeriodicalId":47609,"journal":{"name":"Review of Public Personnel Administration","volume":"227 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148290216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}