Civil service reform, at-will employment, and George Santayana: are we condemned to repeat the past?

The competing values found in private and public sector models of personnel management animate today's civil service reform debate. Unfortunately, the antagonists frequently produce as much heat as light as their positions become entrenched and genuine dialogue suffers. In such situations, insi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public personnel management 2007-03, Vol.36 (1), p.65
Main Authors: Williams, Russell L, Bowman, James S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Administrative Principles
Civil service
Civil service reform
Company personnel management
Departments
Employees
Employment at will
Ethics
Government (Administrative Body)
Human resource management
Job Security
Methods
Partisanship
Personnel Management
Philosophers
Political Power
Politics
Private Sector
Public Administration
Public Service
Reforms
Santayana, George
Santayana, George (1863-1952)
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The competing values found in private and public sector models of personnel management animate today's civil service reform debate. Unfortunately, the antagonists frequently produce as much heat as light as their positions become entrenched and genuine dialogue suffers. In such situations, insights from another time and place can provide a perspective on issues and events. A case in point is philosopher and poet George Santayana who observed in 1905 that, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Drawing upon his work, this critique of civil service reform first briefly reviews the origins of the merit system and the objectives of contemporary changes. Then, a case study in the trendsetting "megastate" of Florida is analyzed. The conclusion speculates on the future of radical reform.
ISSN:0091-0260
1945-7421