ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the contemporary state of civil service reform in the United States. It discusses the broad-based civil service reform aims to fundamentally change the nature of the public service. The chapter presents a brief history of the foundations and evolution of merit-based civil service. It focuses on spotlight civil service reforms in the American states, with a particular emphasis on Georgia and Florida state university and their recent move to abolish or significantly alter civil service protections for state employees. The chapter highlights the case of Jefferson County, Alabama, and that jurisdiction's efforts to modernize its civil service system under the watchful eye of a federal judge. The fourth case focuses on the US Department of Homeland Security and its dabbling with different reform initiatives. The chapter concludes with a set of implications for the future of civil service in the United States.
