ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why public jobs are scarce resources. It describes the traditional values that underlie the conflict over public jobs. The chapter also describes the history of public personnel management in the United States as one of conflict and compromise among competing personnel systems and values. It discusses some consequences of these emergent human resource management practices on state civil service reform efforts and traditional values. The chapter explores the relationship between economic development and governance capacity. It proposes an agenda for strengthening merit systems in transitional or fragile states. Throughout the world, public personnel management is widely recognized as essential for effective government. The cornerstone of public personnel management was position classification—grouping jobs by occupational type and skill level and paying them equitably based on the competencies needed to perform the job. Under ideal circumstances, public personnel management would reflect a combination of values associated in complementary ways.
