ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the features and problems of Macao’s civil service system and the reform carried out by the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government after the handover. It introduces Macao’s civil service system, considers the problems in the bureaucracy, and discusses civil service reform as well as the obstacles faced by the MSAR. Before the 1980s, there was no legal document for the establishment of Macao’s own administration; instead, the civil service system was based on the legislation in Lisbon. In 1976, the Portuguese promulgated the Organic Law of Macao and began to legislate laws to establish Macao’s civil service system. The personnel system in Macao’s government was regulated by Portuguese patronage. In principle, Macao’s civil service system is flexible in terms of human resources management. MSAR adopts a rank-in-person approach for its bureaucratic structure, which stipulates a separation in the rank and position of civil servants.
