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A Broader Look at the "Accountability" Movement

Some Grim Realities in State Civil Service Systems

Jessica E. Sowa

University of South Carolina

Based on a 50-state survey, this article provides an analysis of the impacts of civil service reform on human resource management (HRM) systems. The most fundamental conclusion is that public employees in a majority of states are being directly affected by human resources reforms. In particular, the civil service's traditional job protections are eroding because of decentralization of HRM authority, the active declassification of workers, restrictions on due process rights, and the efforts of activist governors. The implications of these phenomena on the professional civil service—and the notion of a public management career—are examined.

Key Words: civil service reform • grievance rights • at-will employment • due process rights • deregulation • decentralization

Review of Public Personnel Administration, Vol. 26, No. 2, 102-117 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0734371X06287462


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