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Public Sector Reform and Perceptions of Public Servants: An International Longitudinal Review

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The Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant

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Abstract

This chapter analyzes the evolution of citizen perceptions about public servants in different regions and countries of the world. Using quantitative data obtained from the World Values Survey (WVS), this work contributes to the study of such perceptions’ trends in more detail, from an international comparative approach that allows to consider key country-level institutional factors such as the intensity and advancement of public sector reforms. The data does not suggest a global trend in perceptions about public servants, yet confidence in the public service is below a majority worldwide. Some regional patterns emerge with Latin America exhibiting the lowest levels of trust in the civil service and a detachment from perceptions on the government overall. From an analysis of the three most populated countries in the world (China, India, and the United States) and Latin America’s distinct behavior, the influence of public sector reform on citizens’ perception seems to be contingent on socioeconomic and institutional characteristics. Moreover, using a typology is proposed to consider the relationship between trajectories of reform, democracy, and citizen’s perception of civil servants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Government, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia

    Pablo Sanabria-Pulido

  2. Public Administration Division, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, CIDE, Mexico City, Mexico

    Pablo Sanabria-Pulido

  3. Department of Political Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA

    Ricardo A. Bello-Gómez

Authors
  1. Pablo Sanabria-Pulido
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  2. Ricardo A. Bello-Gómez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pablo Sanabria-Pulido .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Helen Sullivan

  2. Public Service Research Group, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Helen Dickinson

  3. Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Hayley Henderson

Section Editor information

  1. Melbourne School of Government, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Janine O’Flynn

  2. The Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Janine O’Flynn

  3. The Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Avery Poole

  4. Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Avery Poole

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Sanabria-Pulido, P., Bello-Gómez, R.A. (2021). Public Sector Reform and Perceptions of Public Servants: An International Longitudinal Review. In: Sullivan, H., Dickinson, H., Henderson, H. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29980-4_89

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