Study on the Political Involvement in Senior Staffing and on the Delineation of Responsibilities Between Ministers and Senior Civil Servants

Abstract

Political involvement in administration is essential for the proper functioning of a democracy. Without this an incoming political administration would find itself unable to change policy direction. However public services need protection against being misused for partisan purposes, they need technical capacity which survives changes of government, and they need protection against being used to impair the capacity of future governments to govern.

Analysis of the Professionalisation of the Senior Civil Service and the Way Forward for the Western Balkans

“…The fundamental principle is professional competence, which embodies the range of skills, knowledge, attitudes and behavioural attributes that are expected to lead to better performance and integrity in public administration, thereby serving the collective public interest and maintaining stability and trust in public institutions. Professional competency in the SCS concerns not only high-level expert knowledge and managerial skills, but the essential values and behaviours that safeguard the public good and maintain constitutional respect, integrity, impartiality and inclusiveness 17 .…”

Political Environment and Implementation of Workforce Diversity Policies in Public Universities in Kenya

“…In countries where political considerations are strong, politicization in civil service recruitment is largely based on patronage which exposes the system to the associated problem of senior officials lacking the competence to carry out their functions (Matheson, Weber, Manning, & Arnould, 2007). Based on this an hypothesis is developed that:…”