A simple, no-cost reform that could bring big change
We have often heard about governments’ intentions to implement “sweeping reforms.” If this intention is sincere, here’s one reform that would provide a huge boost to the operation of the state, society and our institutions – and at no financial cost: staffing the higher echelons of the civil service in a transparent and meritocratic manner.
Unfortunately, it has always been the case that management positions in the civil service are political appointments, a reward meted out by successive government to their cronies and relatives.
If these positions were instead taken up by professionals with expertise and a good work ethic, a lot would change. We would see significant improvements in the quality of state services as only experts can find ways to provide better services at a smaller cost. It would probably also lead to a reduction in waste and a better allocation of funds as budgets would be designed to prop up sectors in need rather than those with political interests. Last but not least, the meritocratic selection of administrators and long (say seven-year) contracts would send a message in support of excellence to society while ridding the state mechanism of the bane of constant changes in the apparatus depending on political developments.
The first step toward such a reform would be to advertise the positions in a transparent and public manner. These could be published on the OpenGov website, whose use for such purposes has unfortunately been drastically limited in recent years. The next step would be sorting through the applications with a detailed form listing their merits, such as educational background, expertise, specialized knowledge, career highlights, knowledge of foreign languages, computer literacy, and so forth.
The hardest part of fair hiring is making a detailed assessment of the best candidates. This should be conducted by committee that does not have any party or government ties. The first of these committees could be made up of people who have distinguished themselves in their careers and who do not have party affiliations. It would be best for successful Greeks from other countries to be part of such a process, especially at the start, as they are more unlikely to have any ties to candidates. Once the system is firmly in place, the committee can be staffed by successful candidates.
One of the best ways to gauge the suitability of a candidate is by interview in front of an audience. I had the opportunity to observe such a process as a member of the assessment committee for candidates for the City of Athens. I was very impressed by how measured and serious the candidates were in their responses, especially as the other candidates were also present.
In the last few months our attention has been on the government’s negotiations with international creditors and little thought has been given to the day after. All previous governments balked at real civil service reform and the current government has very little to show. The unfair imposition of horizontal cuts, new taxes and firings are the result of the misimplementation of agreed reforms. The solution is real reform that is, in fact, sweeping.
* Diomidis D. Spinellis is a professor in the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business.
