In recent decades civil service systems have been subject to intense scrutiny and their role brought into question. The 2008 financial crash and the ensuing crisis did nothing to alleviate this pressure and now, caught between increased accountability and a significantly reduced budget, stretched civil service systems are faced with the challenge of getting better results with less funding.

In this expanded and updated edition of a benchmark volume, a cast of international contributors compare and contrast civil services from around the world and the adaptations that have been made in order to cope with the new challenges of running public services in the 21st century. Going beyond the economic crisis and fiscal austerity, this collection provides key insights into important issues such as the impact of multi-level governance, issues of legality, efficiency and responsiveness, juridification, public sector motivation, and the values of civil service systems. Providing a systematic framework for analysis, this collection offers a comprehensive global study of a key government institution.

Frits M. van der Meer is CAOP professor of Comparative civil service and public sector reform, Institute Public Administration, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
 
Jos C.N. Raadschelders is professor and Associate Director of Faculty at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, and affiliated as Professor of Public Administration, Institute of Public Administration, University of Leiden, the Netherlands.
 
Theo A.J. Toonen is Dean, Faculty of Technology, Policy, Management (TPM), Delft University of Technology; Chair in Institutional Governance and Public Administration Delft and Leiden University, the Netherlands.

1. Civil Service Systems and the Challenges of the 21st Century; Jos C.N. Raadschelders, Theo A.J. Toonen and Frits M. van der Meer
2. Civil Service Development in Central and Eastern European and the CIS: A Perfect Storm?; Tony J.G. Verheijen and Aleksandra Rabrenovic
3. Civil Service Systems in Western Europe: a Comparative Analysis; Frits van der Meer, Trui Steen, Anchrit Wille
4. Anglophone Systems: Diffusion and Policy Transfer within an Administrative Tradition; John Halligan
5. Explaining Civil Service Reform in Asia; John P. Burns
6. Africa: Revalitalizing Civil Service Systems to Enhance Economic Performance; Ladipo Adamolekun and Dele Olowu
7. National Civil Service Systems in Western Europe: The End or Endurance of Weberian Bureaucracy?; Caspar van den Berg, Theo A.J. Toonen
8. Civil Service Reforms, Public Service Bargains and Dynamics of Institutional Change; Philippe Bezes and Martin Lodge
9. Public Service Systems at Sub National and Local Levels of Government: a British-German-French comparison; Sabine Kuhlmann, Sylvia Veit and Jörg Bogumil
10. Middle Level Officials and Policy; Edward C. Page
11. Transitions in Civil Service Systems: Robustness and Flexibility in Human Resource Management; Per Lægreid and Lois Recascino Wise
12. Civil Service Systems and Public Service Motivation; James L. Perry
13. Law and Management: Comparatively Assessing the Reach of Judicialization; Robert K. Christensen and Charles R. Wise
14. The Constitutional Responsibility of the Civil Service; John A. Rohr
15. Civil Service Systems and Responsibility, Accountability and Performance: A Multi-Dimensional Approach; G.S.A. Dijkstra
Chapter 16: Governance and Civil Service Systems: From Easy Answers to Hard Questions; B. Guy Peters and Jon Pierre
17. Is Past Prologue to 21ST Century Civil Service Systems? Exploring Historical Frames for Discovering Lessons about Institutional Futures; Richard J. Stillman II
18. Political-Administrative Relations: Evolving Models of Politicization; Luc Rouban
19: Political System Reform. Can Administrative Reform Succeed Without?; Jos C.N. Raadschelders and Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc
20: Civil Servants in the Enabling Framework State of the 21st Century
Jos C.N. Raadschelders, Theo A.J. Toonen and Frits M. van der Meer