Suggests that, although a crisis in government service is widely recognized, understanding the motives of public servants and the way to stimulate public service motivation are at a preliminary stage. (Author)

Argues that public officials need a complex array of moral resources to exercise discretion in office. Discusses commitments to regime accountability, personal responsibility, and prudence. (JOW)

The "quiet crisis" in federal service is due to absence of dominant political condition or consensus regarding model on which public administration should be based. Extensive changes will bring about fundamental alterations in federal service even in absence of agreement on whether and how to rebuild. The public administration community can play a…

Governmental professionalism is declining. There are many more political appointees in the bureaucracy and the environment has not been supportive or trusting. Public officials can play a role in restoring the environment for professionalism. (JOW)

Examines the challenges of senior public service in the executive office of the president of the United States. The memoirs used demonstrate the high cumulative cost that public service exacts on the health and private lives of senior officials. Reveals themes regarding how officials navigate dilemmas and challenges of public service. (Contains 24…

Discusses how the Corporation for National Service and its programs have come under fire for being more political than catalytic, being simultaneously too centralized and too decentralized, and pursuing too many unclear goals. Identifies discontinuities between the rhetoric and the reality of reinvention and draws lessons for public-sector reform.…

Using contingency table analysis and logistic regression, a study explored how individuals' demographic characteristics and the importance of job qualities influence their preference for and employment in the public sector. Results show that desire for government jobs declined between 1989 and 1998. (Contains 34 references.) (JOW)

Describes development and implementation of a theoretically organized, skill-based curriculum developed for practicing managers in public service in New York and delivered by 15 different postsecondary institutions. (Author/CH)

Ideally, those working for the United Nations would be politically neutral, recruited on merit, and subject to uniform employment standards. In reality, the international civil service, like its national counterparts, is subject to the political conditions of its environment. (Author/SK)

A study examined efforts of National Association of Schools of Public Affairs Administration member graduate programs to recruit and prepare Black and Hispanic students for government careers. Findings revealed a need for further efforts to enhance educational opportunities for minorities. (Author/CH)

Case studies of the use of Nominal Group Technique are analyzed, and an exercise with public administration students is reported suggesting that perceived levels of participation are higher in interacting than in nominal groups. Assumptions about the politics behind such methods are explored. (Author/CH)

Presents results of an empirical study of the effects of demographic trends on a local government occupational group--public welfare workers. Considers effects of these trends on managers' abilities to foster new ideas, to achieve affirmative action goals, and to ensure employee motivation, performance, and productivity. (Author/CH)

This case study examines seven local, state, and federal agencies in Oregon that have track records of success in moving women into management positions. Information from managers is used to define action steps for agencies concerned about affirmative action. (JOW)

Provides a detailed investigation of retention and exit patterns in the federal civil service. Discusses federal pay and turnover, changes in the federal workforce, and the impact of retention problems on the quality of federal workers and on affirmative action. (JOW)

This study reports results of a survey of university presidents concerning their priorities among programs of continuing education, applied research, and technical assistance or consulting to assist state and local public officials. Comparisons of priorities are made between land grant and non-land grant universities. (Author/CT)