Reforming while maintaining job security: a good idea? The case of the Kazakhstani public service

Abstract

Recent administrative reforms in highly ranked countries like the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden focus on legal normalization and the use of performance contracts, with public servants enjoying far less job security than one or two decades ago. Our study in Kazakhstan, a developing former Soviet republic subjected to various waves of personnel reform, demonstrates that job security is highly valued by public servants (n = 627). Moreover, as the primary reason for joining public service, it relates positively to public service motivation, and job satisfaction, and negatively to turnover intention. We discuss the risks of repealing job security for developing countries, which look to the advanced economies for public management solutions, and the adverse effects of transplanting reform strategies from the developed world to the developing world. We conclude with critical implications for policy and reform.