ABSTRACT
Most people agree that the civil service in Taiwan, which was staffed by qualified and experienced bureaucrats, played a vital role in the country's social and economic development for many years. The Taiwanese civil service has had to face the harsh challenges of globalization and accompanying worldwide economic uncertainties as well. In general, the centralized personnel administration system for Taiwanese civil service has long been criticized for its extreme rigidity and uniformity, which has prevented it from coping with the increased pace of global changes. Ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are underrepresented in the civil service as a whole—especially among middle and senior managers. In general, the public perceives the civil service examinations administered by the independent Examination Yuan as fair and impartial, which has helped the government recruit many talented people. Starting from the early1990s through to the present day, civil service reform has been influenced by the global fashion of new public management.
