Seven reforms in five decades: Civil service reform and its human resource implications in China

Civil service reform has been a common issue facing many governments in the world, albeit the content and nature of the reform may vary considerably between nations. The civil service in China has witnessed seven restructures since 1949. However, little is written in the Western literature on China's civil service reform and its implications for human resource management. This paper provides an historical overview of the backgrounds and actions of each of the seven reforms spanning the history of the civil service since the establishment of Communist China in 1949. The paper identifies major barriers to the reforms and assesses the likely impact of these reforms in tackling the intractable problem of an oversized and under-performing civil service of China. It highlights the difficulties in implementing large-scale top-down organizational change which requires institutional as well as cultural reconfiguration.