Foreign Systems, Familiar Refrains: Civil Service Reform in Comparative Perspective

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The civil service reforms of the 1970's in the United States were closely paralleled by similar reforms in other Western nations. This article identifies five themes in civil service reform — non- discrimination, public sector labor relations, decentralization, political responsiveness, and private sector influences — and discusses how they have shaped changes in personnel systems at home and abroad. Although civil service systems still vary significantly from one country to another, common social, political, and economic pressures are forcing a marked convergence in personnel practices and institutions.