Editing Civil service (section)

== Civil service independence ==
{{See also|Central bank independence|Civil control of the military|Judicial independence|Accountability}}

[[Autocracy|Autocratic]] systems of government (such as [[monarchies]]) can favour appointments to administrative positions on the basis of [[nepotism]], [[patronage]] and [[In-group favoritism|favoritism]], with [[cronyism|close relationships between political and administrative figures]]. Early [[Roman emperor]]s, for example, set their [[slavery in ancient Rome|household slaves]] and [[freedmen]] much of the task of administering the [[Roman Empire|Empire]],<ref>Compare:
{{cite book
| last1 = Boardman
| first1 = John
| title = The Cambridge Ancient History: The High Empire, A.D. 70–192
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2pPxAAAAMAAJ
| volume = 11
| edition = 2
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| date = 2000
| page = 195
| isbn = 978-0521228046
| quote = Members of higher social groups, such as senators or ''equites'', necessarily had more of an opportunity to influence the emperor, yet men of lower social status, for instance freedmen or slaves, could also make their mark on account of their constant proximity to the emperor.
| access-date = 2018-05-01
| archive-date = 2020-02-28
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200228172843/https://books.google.com/books?id=2pPxAAAAMAAJ
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
sidelining the [[Cursus honorum|elected officials]] who continued the traditions of the [[Roman Republic]]. But the political appointment of bureaucrats can run the risk of tolerating [[inefficiency]] and [[political corruption|corruption]], with officials feeling secure in the protection of their political masters and possibly immune from prosecution for [[bribe taking|bribe-taking]]. [[Song dynasty|Song-dynasty]] China (960–1279) standardised [[imperial examination|competitive examinations]] as a basis for civil-service recruitment and promotion, and in the 19th century administrations in France and Britain followed suit. Agitation against the [[spoils system]] in the [[United States]] resulted in increasing the independence of the civil service—seen as an important principle in modern times.<ref>{{cite book
| last1 = Verheijen
| first1 = Tony
| chapter = Independent Civil Service Systems: a Contested Value?
| editor1-last = Grotz
| editor1-first = Florian
| editor2-last = Toonen
| editor2-first = Th. A. J.
| title = Crossing Borders: Constitutional Development and Internationalisation: Essays in Honour of Joachim Jens Hesse
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=97ZRNDkH-00C
| location = Berlin
| publisher = Walter de Gruyter
| date = 2008
| page = 249
| isbn = 978-3899495874
| access-date = 2018-04-30
| quote = The importance of a professional and impartial civil service has been a virtually uncontested notion ever since ''Woodrow Wilson''{{'s}} seminal work on the topic at the end of the 19th century. [...] An additional point highlighted by ''Joachim Jens Hesse'' in his frequent publications on the issue is the need to clearly enshrine the principle of an independent civil service in legislation [...].
| archive-date = 2020-07-29
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200729131843/https://books.google.com/books?id=97ZRNDkH-00C
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

Some governmental structures include a
[[civil service commission]] (or equivalent) whose functions include maintaining the work and rights of civil servants at arm's length from potential politicisation or political interference.<ref>Compare:
{{cite book
| editor1-last = Peters
| editor1-first = B. Guy
| editor2-last = Pierre
| editor2-first = Jon
| title = The Politicization of the Civil Service in Comparative Perspective: A Quest for Control
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KYCTAgAAQBAJ
| series = Routledge Studies in Governance and Public Policy
| location = London
| publisher = Routledge
| date = 2004
| isbn = 978-1135996260
| access-date = 2018-05-01
| archive-date = 2020-07-29
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200729133626/https://books.google.com/books?id=KYCTAgAAQBAJ
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
Compare the governance-administrative integration of [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]'s [[Orgburo]].