Civil Service Systems in Anglo-American Countries (Civil Service Systems in Comparative Perspective)

237 Pages·2004·0.78 MB·English

by  John Halligan

Civil Service Systems in Anglo-American
Countries
CIVILSERVICE SYSTEMS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Series Editors: Hans A.G.M. Bekke, Professor of Public Administrationand Frits
M. van der Meer, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Leiden University,
The Netherlands
This series provides the perfect arena for discussing developments taking place in
civil service systems throughout the world. It addresses issues at the heart of modern
public administration from a comparative perspective.
Focusing on different country groupings, leading experts analyse the changes in
structure and functioning of today’s civil service systems, considering institutional
frameworks, performance and legitimacy. The importance attached to these issues is
reflected in the urge for civil service reform which has assumed global proportions.
Titles in the series include:
Civil Service Systems in Central and Eastern Europe
Edited by Tony Verheijen
Civil Service Systems in Western Europe
Edited by Hans A.G.M. Bekke and Frits M. van der Meer
Civil Service Systems in Asia
Edited by John P. Burns and Bidhya Bowornwathana
Civil Service Systems in Anglo-American Countries
Edited by John Halligan
Civil Service Systems
in Anglo-American
Countries
Edited by
John Halligan
Professor of Public Administration, Centre for Research in
Public Sector Management, University of Canberra, Australia
CIVILSERVICE SYSTEMS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Edward Elgar
Cheltenham, UK • Northampton, MA, USA
©John Halligan 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical or photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Published by
Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
Glensanda House
Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham
Glos GL50 1UA
UK
Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.
136 West Street
Suite 202
Northampton
Massachusetts 01060
USA
Acatalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Civil service systems in Anglo-American countries / edited by John Halligan.
p. cm. – (Civil service systems in comparative perspective)
Includes index.
1. Civil service – Cross-cultural studies. I. Halligan, J. (John) II. Series.
JF1601.C54 2004
352.6´3´0917521—dc21 2003054104
ISBN 1 84064 712 4
Typeset by Cambrian Typesetters, Frimley, Surrey
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall
Contents
List of figures vi
List of tables vii
List of contributors viii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Anglo-American civil service systems: an overview 1
John Halligan
2 Administrative traditions and the Anglo-American democracies 10
B. Guy Peters
3 The civil service in Britain: a case study in path dependency 27
David Richards
4 The Australian public service: redefining boundaries 70
John Halligan
5 The New Zealand public service: national identity and
international reform 113
R.C. Mascarenhas
6 The Canadian public service: balancing values and management 148
O.P. Dwivedi and John Halligan
7 Civil service and administrative reform in the United States 174
Patricia W. Ingraham and Donald P. Moynihan
8 Anglo-American civil service systems: comparative perspectives 195
John Halligan
Index 217
v
Figures
3.1 Size of the civil service, 1797 to 1871 29
3.2 Government expenditure, 1800 to 1900 30
3.3 Government expenditure, 1900 to 1995 36
3.4 The size of the British civil service, 1841 to 2000 41
3.5 Permanent civil service income percentage bands, 1999 43
3.6 Civil service staff in executive agencies, 1989 to 1999 55
vi
Tables
3.1 The Westminster model of government 39
3.2 Demographic profile of first-time appointees to Grades 1/1a,
1974 to 1995 45
3.3 Diversity of staff: senior civil service, 1995 to 2000 56
3.4 Task forces established by the Labour government, 1997 60
4.1 Australian public service staff, 1901 to 2001 74
4.2 Dimensions of change to the Australian public service 102
5.1 Staffing of the New Zealand public service, 1913 to 2000 127
8.1 Civil service development: emergence of central personnel
agencies and the merit-based system 197
8.2 Human capital decentralisation and incentives 199
8.3 Politicisation 201
8.4 Representation of women in the civil service 203
8.5 Dimensions of public management reforms, by type of reform 207
8.6 General government public sector outlays as a proportion of
GDP 208
vii
Contributors
O.P. Dwivedi, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science,
University of Guelph, Canada
John Halligan, Professor of Public Administration, Centre for Research in
Public Sector Management, University of Canberra, Australia
Patricia W. Ingraham, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration,
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University,
USA
R.C. Mascarenhas, Visiting Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne,
Australia; formerly Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy, Victoria
University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Donald P. Moynihan, Research Associate, The Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, USA
B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, Department
of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, USA
David Richards, Lecturer, School of Politics and Communication Studies,
University of Liverpool, UK
viii
Acknowledgements
Afew of the debts deserve to be acknowledged. Public servants in Canberra,
Ottawa and Wellington assisted with enquiries. The contributors responded
promptly to editorial requests. A number of colleagues provided advice and
support in various ways: Peter Aucoin, Murray Goot, David Marsh, Robin
Miller, Guy Peters and Roger Wettenhall. O.P. Dwivedi assisted in resolving
the Canadian problem. Rebecca Pietsch, National Institute of Governance,
provided material on representative bureaucracy and public opinion. Aspects
of the study were supported by funding from the Australian Research Council
and the University of Canberra.
The patience and support of the publisher, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd,
and in particular, Dymphna Evans, is much appreciated. The significant contri-
bution of the Comparative Civil Service Research Consortium and the role of
the series editor, Fritz van der Meer, are gratefully acknowledged.
Debbie Phillips assisted with word processing. The desk editor, Bob
Pickens, provided most helpful advice and support during the publication
process. Particular thanks are due to Chris Pirie whose high standards in
substantive editing improved the text in many respects.
ix