What does the evidence tell us about merit principles and government performance?
成果类型：
Article
署名作者：
Oliveira, Eloy; Abner, Gordon; Lee, Shinwoo; Suzuki, Kohei; Hur, Hyunkang; Perry, James L.
署名单位：
University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; Incheon National University; Leiden University; Leiden University - Excl LUMC; Indiana University System; Indiana University Kokomo; Indiana University System; Indiana University Bloomington
刊物名称：
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
ISSN/ISSBN：
0033-3298
DOI：
10.1111/padm.12945
发表日期：
2024
页码：
668-690
关键词：
civil-service reform
employment protection
QUALITY
state
countries
SYSTEM
ACT
摘要：
In October 2020, President Donald Trump sought to convert many US federal civil servants to at-will employees by executive order. Trump's initiative, referred to as Schedule F, has stimulated a partisan debate about dismantling the merit system in the US federal government. A substantial international body of evidence has developed during the last three decades about the effects of administrative practices associated with meritocracy and the likely consequences of changes to civil service systems, such as those embedded in Schedule F. This article employs guidelines established under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to conduct a systematic review of the evidence to address the question: What does the evidence tell us about merit principles and government performance? This systematic review summarizes what empirical research tells us about effects of civil service practices, such as meritocratic appointments, meritocratic advancement, and tenure protection, for government performance and the quality of government. The findings indicate that factors such as meritocratic appointments/recruitment, tenure protection, impartiality, and professionalism are strongly associated with higher government performance and lower corruption. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings for public policy and management and for future research.