The Western civil service system originated in Britain in the 19th century, and was later widely promoted and applied in other Western countries. This system is established to meet the needs of modern management and public services, and its characteristics mainly include the following aspects:
1. Rule of law
Under the Western civil service system, the actions and rights of civil servants are clearly defined and protected by law. Civil officials must abide by the law, exercise their powers in strict accordance with the law, and bear legal responsibility for their actions. This rule of law helps to ensure justice, fairness and openness in the civil service and to avoid abuse and arbitrary exercise of power. At the same time, through the regulation and protection of the law, the professional status and rights of civil servants have also been effectively guaranteed.
2. Intellectualization and specialization
The Western civil service system emphasizes the level of intellectualization and specialization of civil servants. When recruiting civil servants, personnel with relevant professional knowledge and abilities are generally selected through a fair and open examination or evaluation process. The division of civil service positions is also very fine, according to different professional fields and responsibilities, divided into a variety of different job categories to ensure the professionalism and efficiency of civil servants. In addition, many countries have set up special training institutions and assessment mechanisms to provide continuous knowledge updating and professional training for civil servants in order to maintain their professional standards and competence.
3. Political neutrality
An important feature of the Western civil service is political neutrality. Civil servants are not allowed to participate in political activities, join political parties, or express political tendencies or attitudes. The role of a civilian official is to implement policy, not to make policy or participate in political decision-making. This politically neutral system is designed to ensure that civil servants are not influenced by political factors, maintain an objective, impartial and professional attitude, and provide stable and efficient services to the public.
Fourth, the position is permanent
Under the Western civil service, civil servants hold permanent positions and can hold office until retirement as long as there is no serious fault or illegal conduct. Such institutional arrangements help to ensure career stability and continuity of civil servants, and reduce job changes and attrition due to political factors or personal preferences. At the same time, permanent posts can also enable civil servants to focus more on their work, reduce external distractions and pressures, and improve work efficiency and quality.
5. **Promotion
In the Western civil service, promotions are based primarily on merit and seniority, rather than on political factors or personal relationships. This promotion system is designed to stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of civil servants and encourage them to pursue excellence in their work. At the same time, promotion also helps to establish a fair and equitable promotion mechanism and reduces the influence of cronyism and nepotism.
6. Stable wages and keep in touch with the wages of employees of private enterprises
The wage system of the Western civil service system is generally relatively stable and maintains a certain relationship with the wage level of employees in private enterprises. The aim of this wage system is to ensure that the standard of living of civil servants is guaranteed, and at the same time to attract and retain the best talent. In addition, in order to avoid the impact of inflation on the standard of living of civil servants, many countries have established corresponding adjustment mechanisms.
To sum up, the characteristics of the Western civil service system are mainly reflected in the rule of law, intellectualization and specialization, political neutrality, permanent positions, promotion and stable wages, and maintaining a relationship with the wages of employees in private enterprises. These characteristics help to improve the efficiency of work and the quality of public services, and to a certain extent, ensure the fairness and stability of the government.