A Decade of Civil Service Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

December 1, 1997

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Ian Lienert, and Jitendra R. Modi A Decade of Civil Service Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 1997) accessed November 8, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

This paper assesses a decade of experience in civil service reform in a sample of 32 sub-Saharan African countries. Many countries have made an important start towards reducing excessive staffing levels and the nominal wage bill, but less progress has been made in decompressing salary differentials in favor of higher-grade staff. In the CFA franc zone countries, real wages fell sharply after the 1994 devaluation, but the wage bill relative to tax revenue is still high in many countries. There is a need to consolidate quantitative first-generation reforms that contribute to macroeconomic stabilization. Equally important is the need to make progress on qualitative second-generation reforms, especially remuneration and promotion policies that reward performance and measures to improve civil service management. Such policies will require strong political commitment by governments.

Subject: Civil service, Civil service reform, Employment, Labor, Real wages, Wages

Keywords: Africa, CFA franc, Civil Service, Civil service reform, Employment, Private sector, Promotion policy, Real wages, Reform, Revenue ratio, Salaries, Sub-Saharan Africa, Wage bill, Wages, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

47
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 1997/179
Stock No:

WPIEA1791997
ISBN:

9781451858990
ISSN:

1018-5941

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