Biography
Dr. Christensen is professor and George W. Romney Research Fellow in the MPA Program at the Romney Institute of Public Management in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Dr. Christensen is passionate about public service. He studies and teaches classes about public and nonprofit organizations and personnel--including courts and judges--to advance public service education and practice. His research focuses on public and nonprofit management and is interested in (1) public service employees and (2) public service organizations. At the employee level he is interested in the impact of antisocial and prosocial motives and behaviors. The former includes race and gender prejudice; the latter includes public service motivation, volunteerism, workplace philanthropy, and organizational citizenship. At the organizational level he is interested in the relationship between courts (broadly institutions of public law) and public administration. His work appears in such journals as the Journal of Public Administration Review and Theory, Public Administration Review, International Public Management Journal, Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Public Administration, Administration & Society and several law reviews.
Research Interests
He specializes in public and nonprofit management and is interested in (1) public service employees and (2) public service organizations.At the employee level he is interested in the impact of antisocial and prosocial motives and behaviors. The former includes race and gender prejudice; the latter includes public service motivation, volunteerism, workplace philanthropy, and organizational citizenship.
At the organizational level he is interested in the relationship between courts (broadly institutions of public law) and public administration.
His work appears in such journals as the Journal of Public Administration Review and Theory, Public Administration Review, International Public Management Journal, Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Public Administration, Administration & Society and several law reviews.
Sample publications include:
Moon, Kuk-Kyoung and Robert K. Christensen. (Forthcoming). Realizing the Performance Benefits of Workforce Diversity in the U.S. Federal Government: The Moderating Role of Diversity Climate. Public Personnel Management.
Paarlberg, Laurie E., Rebecca Nesbit, Richard Clerkin and Robert K. Christensen. (2019). The Generosity of Politics: Are Red Counties more Generous than Blue Counties? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(2), 283-308.
Thompson, Jeffery and Robert K. Christensen. (2018). Bridging the Public Service Motivation and Calling Literatures. Public Administration Review, 78(3), 444-456.