ABSTRACT
The potential bias of programs is an especially important factor in social programs, because there is a higher probability that the public personnel will be working with members of minority communities, but may impose dominant group values. The public bureaucracy is a stable and relatively remunerative institution of the society, and compared with opportunities that may exist in the private economy, working in the public bureaucracy is frequently an extremely attractive economic option. The public sector does provide sensitive and important services, and having skilled and capable personnel is important. The tradition of the "talented amateur" has persisted in Britain despite the increasing technological content of government work, and despite attacks on the policy by the Fulton Report and other public and private investigations of the civil service. The United States is used as an example of a system with high levels of patronage but compared to some governments in Africa or Latin America levels of patronage are low.
