POL 327 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

• School: Stony Brook University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POL 327
• Professor: Harold Withers

Document Summary

Pendleton civil service act of 1883: passed to combat the strength of machines; started with the federal government & then one by one states followed up with the civil law. Before pendleton, there were no exams for civil service jobs, now there are. There must be 3 viable candidates for whatever position; the hiring agency can hire anyone they want from the top. Some people criticize the exam and say that it relies too much on reading comprehension; you can prepare for the exam & take a course, so you can always somewhat improve your score. However exams are the fairest method we have because we"re only a score & a number. The exam knows no race, no age, no person . Another important reform under pendleton was firing: to be fired for a government, you have to have a hearing (like a small trial); this is after you"re given warnings.