The Flexible Strategies of the UK Public Service Reforms: A Historical Institutional Approach Analysis
Rong-Yang Huang*
Abstract
UK civil service system which was established by the Northcote-Trevelyan Report in 1854 has dramatically changed since the reforms in the past two decades. Since the Next Steps programme and agency model have become core strategies of civil service reform from 1988 onward, the drift in civil service towards more flexible forms of private sector human resource management has been widely noted. This paper uses institutionalist frame-work to explore the UK civil service reforms since 1979, and argues that these changes were based on previous institutional arrangements and histori-cal processes. Apart from members who work in core departments, nearly 80 per cent of UK civil servants are now employed in various agencies, state-run enterprises or the NDPBs. In recent times, using short-term contract em-ployees for public services delivery has become more obvious in the public sector. Some argue that contract workers play an important role in filling va-cancies, helping to maintain the levels of service delivery. In addition, their use offers a better chance for the UK to establish performance-oriented cul-ture in public services. Others argue against this, however, saying they in-crease both personnel and operational costs significantly. A further risk is that growing dependency on contract workers may be undermining the very functions of government offices and their competencies.
Keywords: UK civil service, public service employment, Next Steps, Agency model, new institutionalism
* Assistant professor, Department of Public Affairs Management, Kainan University.