“Hit the Bricks, Buddy”: Nepotism and the Dark Side of Reinventing Government

Abstract

The Reinventing Government (ReGo) movement that was popularized during the 1990's by Osborne and Gaebler’s 1992 book of the same title is founded on the concept of “managerialism,” which has “management rights” as its core theme (Shafritz & Russell, 2005). The principle of management rights advocates wideranging discretion for administrators in the decision-making process that can possibly circumvent the constitutional value of due process in the public sector. With this questionable allowance, unscrupulous public administrators have the opportunity to employ patronage practices beyond acceptable limits that allows a “spoils system” of favoritism to prevail over merit practices. In this article, the concept of “spoils in government” is linked to reinventing government precepts that allow corruption to become ingrained within an organization’s culture. As a consequence, opportunities for ethical violations of office increase relative to the degree of discretionary authority afforded to public administrators. Should a corruptible individual assume office in such an environment, the likelihood of unethical behavior becomes relatively certain. A case study of nepotism from the same decade of reinventing government is documented that illustrates how the implementation of an employment pool in the hiring process of a municipal fire department permitted unethical violations of due process by its fire chief. The discretional authority afforded to a corruptible fire chief in the name of managerialism reinstated a culture of favoritism prevalent within the department from earlier days. The resulting public scandal was sensational but shortlived and was ineffectual in redressing the wrongs brought about by the misuse of authority. The discretionary hiring process not only continues in the department to this day but has been expanded to include promotions.