Although the theory is not well developed, several scholars contend that the public service ethic, which is defined more formally in the present study as public service motivation (PSM), has significant behavioral implications. The level and type of an individual's public service motivation and the motivational com position of a public organization's workforce have been posited to influence individual job choice, job performance, and organizational effectiveness (Perry and Wise 1990; Rainey 1982; Rornzek 1990).