Reforming Recruitment and Selection of the Nepalese Civil Service

This study aims to critically analyze the recruitment and selection of the Nepalese civil service to identify the prevalent problems affecting recruitment and selection, as well as the factors contributing to the inadequacies of the exercise, and to suggest policy recommendations for further development of the Nepalese civil service. A qualitative research strategy using a comprehensive document review has been adapted to identify, analyze, and derive useful information from existing documents. It is found that Nepalese bureaucrats have low morale, low productivity, uncertain prospects for career development, and a weak reward and punishment system. Other challenges facing the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) recruitment and selection process include frequent changes in civil service rules and regulations along with changes in institutional structure, pervasive corruption in all echelons of administration, lack of political will and support to carry on civil service reform, and bureaucratic resistance. This study also found problems including limited practice of the principles of meritocracy and representative inclusiveness; lack of proper job descriptions in vacancy announcements; highly politicization and rampant corruption; continued practicing of the conventional selection approach; and improper utilization of the managerial, political, and legal approaches in the recruitment and selection process.