The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and analyzes the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, signed into law by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The paper examines its objective and its shortcomings as well as whether, in fact, it has actually achieved its intended purpose. The paper concludes with a list of questions that still remain to be answered regarding the efficacy of the Act and suggests that there is yet much to be done in Civil Service reform.

From the Paper:

"If the government is the Titanic, then the Civil Service bureaucracy is the iceberg. It is the seemingly immovable object against which one administration after another has failed to evade. The problem has been that the Civil Service system had never really worked on a meritocracy basis, where those who provide skill, accountability, and the experience to delivering quality public service. From the original political appointees who created their own world of patronage and spoils, based on instructions from political machines "back home", such as Tammany Hall in New York, or Mark Hanna's Cleveland home base, there grew an enormous bureaucracy who became fixtures- who remained no matter which party was in power, and who were basically the only ones who knew what to do and when to do it (or when not to). Political appointees still filled the top management spots, but their influence was infrequently felt unless and until a very forceful personality took charge."

More papers on The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978:

• Essay # 13358 : "Civil Service Reform Act of 1978"
• Analytical Essay # 8902 : "The Homeland Security Department: Human Resource Implications"
• Book Review # 104649 : "The English Reform Act of 1867"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: