Political Science I / The Civil Service
Practice question · Select all that apply

Which are costs of a rigid career civil service?

Hints
  1. Three are genuine costs; one is a benefit stated as a cost.
  2. Security of tenure exists precisely so that advice can be unwelcome.
Show the answer
  • A. Weak links between performance and pay
  • C. Difficulty removing persistently poor performers
  • D. Slow recruitment relative to changing needs
Why

The fourth is the protection, not the cost. Tenure exists so that an official can give advice a minister does not want to hear without risking their livelihood, and a system where that were not true would have solved the flexibility problem by recreating the patronage problem.

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