Civil Service
Civil Service
Civil Service, name generally given to paid nonmilitary service in nonelective office in the executive branch of government. The term does not apply properly to service in the legislative branch or judicial branch, although in the United States some employees of these branches are subject to provisions of the Civil Service Act. In certain countries, notably the United Kingdom, the term civil service is used to denote only positions in the national government; in others, including France and the United States, the term is applied to governmental positions on all levels, from federal to municipal. Civil service employees in most modern countries are selected by competitive examination.
Until the second half of the 19th century, elected government officials in most countries regarded appointive posts under their jurisdiction as political prizes to be distributed among influential or faithful supporters. The first significant departure from this practice occurred in Britain in 1855, when examinations were conducted by government order among selected candidates for certain minor positions. The categories of jobs filled in this fashion were gradually extended, and in 1870 a policy of open competitive examinations for most posts in the British civil service was adopted.
The U.S. Constitution vests the president with extraordinary powers in the selection of executive department personnel, and George Washington set a precedent of appointing federal employees almost solely on the grounds of ability. His successor, John Adams, was similarly beyond reproach in exercising his appointive powers, until his last night in office. Fearing that Thomas Jefferson, the newly elected president, would appoint extremists among his Republican followers (see Democratic-Republican Party) to a number of offices recently established by Congress, Adams filled the offices with Federalists. These and other appointees of Adams were promptly dismissed from office by Jefferson.
By the time Andrew Jackson took office, merit figured only secondarily in executive department appointments. During Jackson’s administration the policy of political patronage in federal employment was intensified, partly as a result of Jackson’s belief that rotation of government jobs was an essentially democratic practice. For many years thereafter virtually all appointive positions in the executive branch were political plunder, belonging to the party in power. The abuses inherent in this system, which became known as the spoils system, were especially pronounced during the three decades following 1845. Washington, D.C., became the mecca of a multitude of federal office seekers.
Although Congress attempted to deal with the problem in 1853 by passing legislation requiring candidates for certain federal jobs to submit to examination, shortcomings in the provisions and administration of the law foredoomed it to failure. Another bill, directing the president to take remedial action, was passed in 1871. In that year, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed the Civil Service Commission, assigning it the task of drafting a code of hiring procedures. Congress withdrew its financial support, however, in 1873, before the Civil Service Commission could draw up a program. (1)
Literature Review on Civil Service
In the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, [1] J. Edward Kellough offers the following summary about the topic of Civil Service: In a general sense, the civil service is comprised of all individuals employed in government, with the exception of those in the military and those who work for the legislature and judicial branches of government. As such, civil service systems exist at every level of government and in every country. Because those who work in the civil service are charged with the responsibility for implementing and managing government operations and programs, the relationship between the civil service and political authorities at the heads of governments has always been of critical importance. Competence, responsiveness, and accountability in the civil service are issues often defined in terms of the context of that relationship. It is expected that public employees will possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities requisite for their positions; that they will be responsive to the public that they serve; and that they will be held accountable to the public and government leaders for their official actions.
Civil Service
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See Also
- Foreign Policy
- Foreign Relations
- Trade Regulation
- Public Policy
- International Relations
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See Also
- Civil Service Commission
- Competitive civil service examination
- Merit Systems Protection Board
- Office of Personnel Management
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Notes and References
- Entry about Civil Service in the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy (2015, Routledge, Oxford, United Kingdom)
See Also
Further Reading
- Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (2018, Springer International Publishing, Germany)
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Notes and References
See Also
Spanish Translation of Civil Service
This is the legal translation of English to Spanish in relation to Civil Service and / or a definition of this topic: Administración Pública (in Spanish, without translation of the dictionary entry).
Hierarchical Display of Civil service
Politics > Executive power and public service > Administrative structures
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law > Right to strike
International Relations > International affairs > International organisation > International civil service
International Organisations > European organisations > European organisation > European Institute of Public Administration
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law > Trade union rights
Civil service
Concept of Civil service
See the dictionary definition of Civil service.
Characteristics of Civil service
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Translation of Civil
service
- Spanish: Función pública
- French: Fonction publique
- German: öffentlicher Dienst
- Italian: Funzione pubblica
- Portuguese: Função pública
- Polish: Służba państwowa
Thesaurus of Civil service
Politics > Executive power and public service > Administrative structures > Civil service
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law > Civil service
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law > Right to strike > Civil service
International Relations > International affairs > International organisation > International civil service > Civil service
International Organisations > European organisations > European organisation > European Institute of Public Administration > Civil service
Employment And Working Conditions > Labour law and labour relations > Labour law > Trade union rights > Civil service
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