Does public service motivation affect the behavior of professionals?

The literature expects PSM to affect behavior and ultimately performance; but little is known about the effect of PSM on actual behavior, since empirical studies typically investigate self-reported performance data. This article, therefore, investigates how PSM (specifically commitment to the public interest) affects the actual, not self-reported, behavior of Danish physiotherapists (n = 556). The analysis is based on register data on individual behavior combined with a web-based survey of PSM. We find that PSM positively affects the proportion of disabled patients. Services to this patient type are less lucrative, but disabled patients are seen as more needy, increasing the perceived contribution to society. The results imply that PSM helps secure the interests of weak and needy groups.