A Broader Look at the “Accountability” Movement: Some Grim Realities in State Civil Service Systems

Based on a 50-state survey, this article provides an analysis of the impacts of civil service reform on human resource management (HRM) systems. The most fundamental conclusion is that public employees in a majority of states are being directly affected by human resources reforms. In particular, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of public personnel administration 2006-06, Vol.26 (2), p.102-117
Main Authors: Hays, Steven W., Sowa, Jessica E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil service
Decentralization
Deregulation
Human resource management
Reforms
Studies
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Summary:Based on a 50-state survey, this article provides an analysis of the impacts of civil service reform on human resource management (HRM) systems. The most fundamental conclusion is that public employees in a majority of states are being directly affected by human resources reforms. In particular, the civil service's traditional job protections are eroding because of decentralization of HRM authority, the active declassification of workers, restrictions on due process rights, and the efforts of activist governors. The implications of these phenomena on the professional civil service—and the notion of a public management career—are examined.
ISSN:0734-371X
1552-759X
DOI:10.1177/0734371X06287462