Seeds of Success and Failure: Policy Development and Implementation of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act

Abstract

The implementation of a public policy is linked closely to the initial development of that policy. Any examination of the implementation of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 should be based on a firm understanding of the factors which affected the formulation and adoption of that legislation. These factors shaped the nature of the Act in specific ways which may hinder or aid attempts to achieve the purposes of the law. A review of the factors involved indicates that the prospects for successful implementation of the Civil Service Reform Act are somewhat favorable but that much uncertainty still exists over whether the policy adopted will be able to attain its goals in light of changed political circumstances in Washington.