Across the globe, governments are ending civil service as we know it. This volume presents the newest research that explores efforts to replace civil service systems with more flexible, non-tenured systems. Featuring both original and previously published essays by many of the leading practitioners and professors in the field of public administration, Radical Reform of the Civil Service asks big questions. Is radical reform of public bureaucracy needed? What is the scope of these reforms? What are the dangers of reform and why is it happening now? The essays in this book should be read by anyone interested in the future of public management.

This book focuses on civil service reform within the central administration in Latin America. It analyzes updated versions of the country assessments carried out by the Inter-American Development Bank in 2004 in 16 countries and presents a comparative analysis of the ways in which the countries have evolved during the last decade. The methodology is based on the principles of the Ibero-American Charter for Public Service. In addition, it draws lessons from reform processes, identifying strategies for civil service modernization in the region. Finally, the book proposes a possible future agenda to continue the efforts to further professionalize the civil service in Latin America.

The book features an analysis of teacher reform in Indonesia, which entailed a doubling of teacher salaries upon certification. It describes the political economy context in which the reform was developed and implemented, and analyzes the impact of the reform on teacher knowledge, skills, and student outcomes.

The call to "reinvent government"—to reform the government bureaucracy of the United States—resonates as loudly from elected officials as from the public. Examining the political and economic forces that have shaped the American civil service system from its beginnings in 1883 through today, the authors of this volume explain why, despite attempts at an overhaul, significant change in the bureaucracy remains a formidable challenge.