| Abstract: | Although frequently treated as apolitical by social scientists and practitioners, public personnel administration has always been infused with political considerations. Today, it is more widely recognized that personnel policy choices can have political ramifications of major consequence. However, this policy realm is characterized by a number of competing values espoused by different governmental institutions and private groups. The civil service reforms of 1978 created more coherent personnel policy and greater clarity among the various competing interests and participants. Nevertheless, the political environment of public personnel administration remains so complex that the issue of whether it is possible for public managers to manage lively is legitimately raised. |
