International Handbook on Civil Service Systems

by Andrew Massey

Overview

While there is no universally accepted definition of civil servant and civil service, this authoritative and informative Handbook compares and contrasts various approaches to organizing the structure and activities of different civil service systems.

The expert contributors consider the historical and theoretical context of public administration and public sector management, applying relevant theories and frameworks to provide a disciplinary perspective. Recurring topics and themes are explored, and international comparisons are made via case studies from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. Issues addressed in each country study include accountability, structure, processes and institutions, as well as the relationship to the broader political systems in a world becoming aware that it exists within a differentiated polity. The Weberian legacy, joined-up government and the hollowed-out state thesis and the debate between Anglo-American influenced systems versus the Continental European approach to organizing the civil service are also discussed in detail.

This systematic comparison of civil service systems and their political and theoretical foundations will prove essential reading for academics and students focusing on public policy and public sector management. Public service professionals will also find this book to be a crucial resource.

Contributors include: T.E.D. Anagnosen, P. Barberis, E. Borgonovi, F. Buick, M. Desbouvries, M. Duggett, O.P. Dwivedi, M. Evans, A. Ferraro, J. Halligan, S. Horton, J.-M. Kauzya, M. Kikuchi, A. Massey, D.S. Mishra, A. Nakamura, J. O'Flynn, E. Ongaro, R. Parry, R. Pyper, C. Sadleir

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847200532
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	02/29/2012
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Edited by Andrew Massey, Professor of Government, King's College London, UK

Table of Contents

Contents:

PART I: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
1. Civil Service Systems: Introduction and Scope of the Book
Andrew Massey

2. The Weberian Legacy
Peter Barberis

3. Contrasting Anglo-American and Continental European Civil Service Systems
Sylvia Horton

4. Decentralization, Devolution and the Hollowing Out of the State
Robert Pyper

5. Experiments with Joined-up, Horizontal and Whole-of-Government in Anglophone Countries
John Halligan, Fiona Buick and Janine O’Flynn

PART II: SYSTEM AND COUNTRY COMPARISONS
6. The Civil Service in Italy
Elio Borgonovi and Edoardo Ongaro

7. The United States Civil Service
J. Theodore Anagnoson

8. A Splendid Ruined Reform: The Creation and Destruction of a Civil Service in Argentina
Agustín E. Ferraro

9. Comparative Perspectives of the Challenges and Prospects of Civil Service Reforms in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
John-Mary Kauzya

10. The Public Service of India: A Mapping Expedition
O.P. Dwivedi and D.S. Mishra

11. Towards Public Service-oriented Governance? Administrative Reform with ‘Chinese Characteristics’
Mark Evans

12. Japanese Public Administration at the Crossroads: Declining Trust in Government and Civil Service Reform in the Age of Fiscal Retrenchment
Akira Nakamura and Masao Kikuchi

13. The Australian Public Service System
John Halligan and Chris Sadleir

14. The Civil Service in France: Contested Complacency?
Michael Duggett with Manueline Desbouvries

15. The United Kingdom Civil Service: A Devolving System
Richard Parry

Index

Editorial Reviews

This Handbook on civil service systems is truly international and comparative. It covers and compares countries from all continents. It also connects historical (Weberian) legacies to contemporary challenges such as coordination, the hollow state, and trust. Massey's Handbook does not avoid difficult issues for civil service systems such as ruined reforms, fiscal retrenchment, and cultural and political system shocks. Therefore this book is exceptionally rich and stimulating.
—- Geert Bouckaert, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

From the Publisher

‘This Handbook on civil service systems is truly international and comparative. It covers and compares countries from all continents. It also connects historical (Weberian) legacies to contemporary challenges such as coordination, the hollow state, and trust. Massey’s Handbook does not avoid difficult issues for civil service systems such as ruined reforms, fiscal retrenchment, and cultural and political system shocks. Therefore this book is exceptionally rich and stimulating.’

Geert Bouckaert