New developments concerning public personnel management.

Historically, it was taken for granted that public services would be delivered by a staff of career civil service employees, working within the structure of centralised public agencies budgeted with appropriated funds. Today, noneof these are true-public programmes are more than likely performed by alternative organisations or mechanisms rather than by public agencies (International City Management Association, 1989); and when public agencies areused, they are more likely to be staffed by contingent workers hired through flexible employment mechanisms rather than permanent employees protected by civil service regulations and collective bargaining agreements (Kilbom, 1995). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]