Factors Affecting Public Servants’ Performance in Developing Countries: Evidences from Eritrea

Abstract

There is little existing research that examines the relationship between the performance of civil servants and the variables that affect performance in third-world countries, and in the Eritrean civil service in particular. Hence, the principal objective of this study is to investigate the main factors that affect public servants’ job performance in the civil service in Eritrea. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 14 ministerial offices, but one ministry declined to participate. The Ministry of Defense was purposely excluded as it is a different establishment in terms of its nature and characteristics. The data were gathered from a sample of 267 randomly selected respondents. The research design employed a self-administered questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The items measuring the constructs were adapted from the extant literature, and data were analyzed using a regression test. The findings of this study reveal that training, organizational culture, and work environment positively affect employee performance. However, no evidence was found to indicate that leadership and motivation influence employees’ job performance.