William A. Owens Creative Research Award 2023

Bradley Wright, professor and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, has built a globally influential body of research addressing how work environments in government affect public employee attitudes and behaviors. His research is highly regarded for expanding the understanding of human motivation in public sector settings. Wright has united different streams of knowledge into a coherent whole, raising his profile as a scientist who explores innovative ways to study topics in his field. Wright is particularly skillful in bringing research methods used in psychology to questions in public administration. By designing models of methodological rigor and sophistication, he has created illuminating measurements of public service motivations and values with real-world implications. For instance, he has furthered understanding of government employee behavior in highly stressful work environments in the US and internationally, such as police officer motivation and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.