Protection Versus Flexibility: The Civil Service Reform Act, Competing Administrative Doctrines, and the Roots of Contemporary Public Management Debate

The year 2003 marks the twentieth-fifth anniversary of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978, a late chapter in the development of the American administrative state and the most significant reform of the civil service system since its creation through the Pendleton Act of 1883. The Act made a number of enduring contributions to the personnel system of the federal government. Given the recursive nature of public management debate, there is considerable policy importance in trying to understand the original basis of decisions on legislation that have shaped the federal government over the last twenty-five years, and the CSRA has recently been the subject of renewed interest. More important, the CSRA was a rare and relatively important shift in the beliefs and attitudes—the administrative doctrine—that shape the evolution of the administrative state. Significantly, the debate during the CSRA saw the emergence of deep divisions within administrative doctrine, divisions that continue to shape public management policymaking.

Laboratories for Change: Lessons from 15 Years of Demonstration Projects

Personnel demonstration projects in the federal government were first authorized by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Several projects have been conducted in the past 15 years. The author draws a number of lessons from this experience, including how to select ideas to test, factors to consider in developing a project plan and an appropriate evaluation strategy, and how to conclude projects successfully. He also uses that experience to identify qualities in individuals and organizations that support successful innovations, and concludes that demonstration projects have the potential to play an even more significant role in federal personnel management in the future.