Research on Structural Dimensions of Public Service Motivation of Rural Tourism Elites
Rural tourism elites play a crucial role in rural revitalization,poverty eradication,and promotion of sustainable development.However,most of the related studies were based on an altruistic perspective or self-interest perspective.As such,they have failed to form a systematic theoretical framework.Consequently,research on rural tourism elite motivation is often simplified and marginalized.Public service motivation,as a combination of multiple motivations,provides sufficient theoretical support for studying rural tourism elite motivation.Prior research in this field mainly focused on the first sector(i.e.,public sector),with limited attention to the second sector(i.e.,business organizations)and the third sector(i.e.,non-profit organizations).To fill in the research gap,the current study employs the theory of public service motivation,based on the context of Chinese rural culture,with a specific focus on rural tourism elites.More importantly,the study uses grounded theory to conduct an exploratory investigation of public service motivation structures.This study conducted in-depth interviews with three groups:rural tourism elites,village cadres,and villagers,to construct a structural dimensional model of the public service motivation of rural tourism elites.The proposed model indicates that public service motivation of rural tourism elites consists of five dimensions:hometown attachment,commitment to public interest,social reputation and support,self-dedication,and attraction to policy making.Specifically,commitment to public interest,self-dedication,and attraction to policy making align with prior research findings,confirming the universality of rational,normbased,and affective motivations.Hometown attachment and social reputation and support represent new dimensions discovered in the context of Chinese rural society,which is closely related to deep Confucian ideology and culture and collectivist values.In addition,this study found that public service motivation of rural tourism elites is a complex multi-dimensional structural system.The dimensions are interrelated and interact with each other,which collectively constitute the driving factors of public service motivation of rural tourism elites.From the theoretical perspective,this research has the potential to contribute to the literature in two ways.First,this study fills in the gap in the literature on rural tourism elite motivation by constructing a model of the structural dimensions of public service motivation among rural tourism elites.Second,this study extends the concept of public service motivation to non-governmental organizations,without the traditional constraints of research solely within the realm of public administration.From the practical perspective,this research makes three important contributions.First,rural tourism destinations can enhance the promotion of public service values to stimulate the public service motivation of rural tourism elites.Second,government departments need to improve the internal and external coordination mechanisms of rural tourism elites to resolve multiple conflicts.Lastly,local governments should persist in nurturing and attracting rural tourism elites to provide solid intellectual support for the sustainable development of rural tourism.
rural tourism elitespublic service motivationrural tourismrural revitalizationgrounded theory
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