Since the founding of the American civil service in 1883, there have been ongoing tensions between the powers and roles of politicians versus those of permanent and apolitical civil servants. A civil service is a merit-based personnel system that hires based on qualifications. Civil servants then have permanent jobs. At the same time, presidents appoint several thousand senior managers to head federal agencies to implement the president's policies. The inherent tensions between these two democratic goals have waxed and waned. They escalated sharply during President Trump's second term. He viewed agencies as under his direct control and that civil servants who disagreed with his policies should be fired. The book presents the context, rationale, development, and history of these tensions within American public service.This book relates to political science, American history, and public administration. It is intended for use as a textbook, by researchers, and for academic libraries.
