The role and position of the civil service as core actors in the public sector has been seriously questioned in recent years. This volume provides a comparative study of civil service systems in Asia, Western Europe and Africa. The cast of international contributors provide new insights.

Introduction: Civil Service Systems and the Challenges of the 21st Century; J.C.N.Raadschelders, F.M.Van der Meer& T.A.J.Toonen PART I: REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS in CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEMS Civil Service Development in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS: Swimming with the Tide; T.Verheijen& A.Rabrenovic Western Europe Civil Service Systems: A Comparative Analysis; F.M.Van der Meer, T.Steen& A.Wille Anglo-American Systems: Easy Diffusion; J.Halligan Explaining Civil Service Reform in Asia; J.Burns Africa: Rehabilitating Civil Service Institutions, Main Issues and Implementation Progress; L.Adamolekun PART II: CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEMS AS MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE National Civil Service Systems and the Implications of Multi-Level Governance: Weberianism Revisited?; C.van den Berg& T.A.J.Toonen Historical Legacies and Dynamics of Institutional Change in Civil Service Systems; P.Bezes& M.Lodge Public Service Systems at Sub National and Local Levels of Government: A British-German-French Comparison; S.Kuhlmann& J.Bogumil Middle Level Bureaucrats: Policy, Discretion and Control; E.Page Reforming Human Resource Management in Civil Service Systems: Recruitment, Mobility, and Representativeness; L.Wise& P.Lægreid PART III: CIVIL SERVANTS AND LEGALITY, EFFICIENCY, AND RESPONSIVENESS Law and Management: Comparatively Assessing the Reach of Judicialization; R.Christensen& C.Wise The Constitutional Responsibility of the Civil Service; J.Rohr Civil Service Systems and Responsibility, Accountability and Performance: A Multi-Dimensional Approach; G.Dijkstra Governance and Civil Service Systems: From Easy Answers to Hard Questions; B.G.Peters& J.Pierre PART IV: CIVIL SERVANTS IN THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT Is Past Prologue to 21st Century Civil Service Systems? Exploring Historical Frames for Discovering Lessons about Institutional Futures; R.Stillman II Political-Administrative Relations; L.Rouban Political System Reform: Can Administrative Reform Succeed Without?; J.C.N.Raadschelders& M.Bemelmans-Videc CONCLUSION Civil Servants in the Enabling Framework State of the 21st Century; J.C.N.Raadschelders, F.M.van der Meer& T.A.J.Toonen