History of the United States Civil Service

The History of the United States Civil Service: From the Postwar Years to the Twenty-First Century provides a broad, comprehensive overview of the US civil service in the postwar period and examines the reforms and changes throughout that time.The author situates the history of the civil service into a wider context, considering political, social and cultural changes that occurred and have been influential in the history of American government. The book analyzes the development of administrative reorganizations, administrative reforms, personnel policy and political thought on public administration. It also underlines continuity and changes in the structures, organization, and personnel management of the federal civil service, and the evolution of the role of presidential control over federal bureaucracy. Taking an essential, but often neglected organization as its focus, the text offers a rich, historical analysis of an important institution in American politics.This book will be of interest to teachers and students of American political history and the history of government, as well as more specifically, the Presidency, Public Administration, and Administrative Law.

"Few scholars look at how . . . presidents have sought greater political control over the civil service and sought to use it as an instrument of executive power. The History of the US Civil Service: From the Postwar Years to the Twenty-First Century fills this important gap [by] cogently and succinctly describing the political forces and tensions . . . that have arisen among presidents, Congress, and bureaucracy."David Schultz, Professor of Political Science, Hamline University, USA

Lorenzo Castellani is Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor in Contemporary History and History of Political Institutions at LUISS Guido Carli of Rome, Italy. He is a political analyst and commentator for national and international media.