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Innovative self-efficacy of municipal employees: empirical evidence from Russia's Leningrad region
Quality in service delivery requires government agencies to exhibit innovative activities. Surprisingly little research exists on the self-efficacy of municipal employees engaging in innovative activities. Using survey data from 1,700 Russian municipal employees this study finds that innovative self-efficacy of front- and mid-level employees results from high levels of proactivity, strong prosocial motivation, a strong perception of empowerment, and more than 7 years of working experience. Our findings imply a potential for change-oriented behavior among municipal employees. We argue that rigid centralism in decision-making and a culture of self-enrichment (as opposed to prosocial motivation) prevent innovative self-efficacy becoming public service improvement on a large scale more frequently.