Schuster Article Summary

In the article, “Civil service management and corruption: What we know and what we don’t,” authors Jan-Hinrik Meyer Sahling, Kim Sass Mikkelsen, and Christian Schuster argue for an increase in research on the relationship between the organization and structure of civil service systems and corruption levels. They begin by evaluating the existing literature discussing civil service and corruption and drawing three main conclusions: 1. There is a positive relationship between employer recruitment that is based on merit and a decrease in corruption, 2. There is a varied correlation between pay levels and corruption, most likely due to the nuances in measuring pay levels such as pay raises and starting salaries, and 3. Existing literature provides limited evidence on the relationship between HRM (Human Resource Management) functions, like promotions or job stability, and corruption levels. The authors conclude that more research into these categories, along with expanding their study of civil service management practices and attempting to use more statistical causal identification methods, would help policy makers in their fight to reduce government corruption.