The hottest Civil Service Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top News Topics

The Secret Police Playbook

Can We Still Govern? • 566 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Secret police are often staffed not by ideological monsters but by ordinary officers stuck in their careers who take a ‘detour’ into repressive units because it offers advancement, pay, and security.
  2. Authoritarian leaders assemble this system by creating a second, fast-growing pyramid — funding it, lowering vetting and training standards, hollowing out traditional institutions, and loudly signaling impunity so people feel safe breaking rules.
  3. A strict meritocracy can make the problem worse by producing a large pool of career-pressured losers who are easy to recruit into repression, and the same pressures that build a coercive force can also create coup risks, so spotting and interrupting the process matters.

Trump's Schedule F Rule Finalized

Can We Still Govern? • 324 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The new Schedule Policy/Career rule removes job protections for many policy-making federal employees, making it much easier to fire them and weakening whistleblower and oversight safeguards.
  2. The rule ignores broad public and expert opposition and misrepresents research, while claiming politicization won’t occur and pushing a legal theory that expands presidential removal power.
  3. Lawsuits are likely, but if the rule stands it could hollow out the civil service, strip union protections, suppress transparency, and create long-term political control and instability in government.

Autocracy in America

Can We Still Govern? • 345 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. American democracy is slipping rapidly, with data showing a fast move toward authoritarian practices and weakening of constitutional limits.
  2. The administration is politicizing and purging the civil service and law enforcement, prompting resignations and creating a politicized enforcement apparatus that can be used against opponents and elections.
  3. Some institutions and actors still resist, but many have been co-opted or failed to act, so public mobilization and efforts to protect independent public servants, unions, and election administrators are essential to halt the decline.

A Small Tip Jar for the Administrative State

Bet On It • 216 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Allow taxpayers to use a small part of their taxes to raise or lower the pay of specific government employees each year, with caps, limits on percentage changes, and a short written reason.
  2. The system acts like tipping to create individualized accountability, encouraging faster, kinder, and more responsive service from bureaucrats who currently face little personal feedback.
  3. It won’t fix major structural problems, but it’s a cheap, practical way to improve how government feels to citizens, increase everyday accountability, and reduce populist frustration.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Universal Credit is a model for how to do government right

Odds and Ends of History • 2211 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Universal Credit was designed to combine multiple welfare benefits into one monthly payment, making it easier for people to receive support without dealing with several different systems.
  2. Initially, the launch of Universal Credit faced major issues, including a lack of proper technology and management, making it difficult for people to claim benefits effectively.
  3. After recognizing its failures, the program was rebuilt using an agile approach, which allowed for testing and learning from real users, ultimately leading to its success in providing timely support.

Who runs Britain?

Comment is Freed • 131 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Civil Service
  1. Many politicians blame a sprawling 'blob'—civil servants, regulators, campaign groups and judges—for blocking their plans.
  2. The prime minister technically has huge powers, but complex institutions, rules and well-connected stakeholders often make it very hard to turn decisions into action.
  3. Blaming the machine or shouting about willpower isn't enough; ministers often lack clear plans or curiosity about how to change systems, so reform needs careful diagnosis and targeted fixes.

At will? Whose will?

Can We Still Govern? • 254 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The Supreme Court seems poised to let presidents remove independent agency leaders, which will make agencies more political and reward loyalty over expertise.
  2. The federal government is already operating like an at‑will system right now, with partisan firings and stripped safeguards that weaken career staff, reduce state capacity, and invite corruption.
  3. State experiments with at‑will hiring offer weak, mixed evidence and don’t map well to the federal level; you can’t safely combine lots of political appointees with at‑will employment without risking politicized abuses, so reforms need careful evaluation.

The civil service is about to take over the government

Striking 13 • 2455 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The government is shifting towards being run by civil servants under Keir Starmer's leadership.
  2. Organizational competence is a critical factor for governmental success and the current UK government has been lacking in this aspect.
  3. The success of a civil-service-led government is crucial in restoring public trust in politics and combating conservative populism.

February 6, 2026

Letters from an American • 32 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The president and his team have used racist imagery and doctored photos to stoke racial divisions and try to break the broad coalition opposing them, but those tactics are rallying criticism instead of support.
  2. Immigration and law enforcement actions reveal mismanagement and apparent constitutional abuses, with chaotic chains of command and people detained without clear legal authority.
  3. Policy moves across the administration—from stripping civil service protections and pushing strict voter ID rules to mishandling public health, jobs, and support for farmers—risk harming communities and undermining democratic norms.

Lessons About the Civil Service and Political Appointees

Cremieux Recueil • 567 implied HN points • 18 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Civil servants often prioritize their own beliefs over the goals of the president, which can create problems in running the government. This misalignment can lead to delays and increased costs in government projects.
  2. Political loyalty plays a big role in how well civil servants perform their jobs. When civil servants are aligned with the president's party, they tend to work more effectively and efficiently, saving the government time and money.
  3. Changes in political leadership can affect civil servants' loyalties, but many will still lean toward their original party. This can create challenges for a new administration trying to implement its policies, especially if they face resistance from a predominantly opposing workforce.

Last chance to weigh in on Trump's plan to politicize the civil service

Can We Still Govern? • 227 implied HN points • 06 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Trump's plan could turn many career civil servants into political appointees, which might influence their work based on loyalty rather than merit. This could affect government effectiveness and accountability.
  2. It's easy for the public to voice their opinions against this plan. Just a quick comment can make a big difference and it helps create a record of opposition.
  3. Managing through fear, like threatening job loss for dissent, harms creativity and quality in government work. It's better to have open discussions and diverse viewpoints to improve services.

The Politicization of Federal Hiring

Can We Still Govern? • 163 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Recent changes to federal hiring rules may allow candidates to be hired based more on political loyalty than on their abilities or qualifications. This undermines the idea that government workers should be nonpartisan.
  2. New essay questions for applicants emphasize candidates' alignment with the current administration's political agenda, which can discourage diversity of thought and lead to favoritism in hiring.
  3. The push for hiring based on political views can destabilize the federal workforce, making it less qualified and more politicized, which could harm public services and governance.

Will civil servants guard against illiberal power grabs?

Can We Still Govern? • 124 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Civil servants may not always oppose undemocratic policies. Their views vary based on their political beliefs and affiliations.
  2. When civil servants see proposed changes as threats, they often consider quitting their jobs rather than resisting, reflecting their desire to maintain their integrity.
  3. In polarized societies, bureaucracies may fail to act as neutral defenders of democracy because their members have differing opinions on what's harmful to democracy.

The least significant cases of the decade

Adam's Legal Newsletter • 239 implied HN points • 28 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The Supreme Court ruled on cases that were deemed to be the least significant of the decade, based on various factors like legal issues, difficulty, and practical impact.
  2. The cases analyzed had low scores for interesting facts, law, and difficulty, with some even receiving a total score of zero for insignificance.
  3. Specific cases like 'Kloeckner v. Solis' were highlighted for being particularly unremarkable in terms of facts, law, significance, and practical impact.

Managing The Powerful.

Trying to Understand the World • 6 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Civil Service
  1. A country needs a professional, independent administrative service and experienced advisers to turn leaders' decisions into reality; without that backbone, even capable leaders fail.
  2. Modern politics tends to select for ambitious, careerist, and sycophantic actors rather than people with real managerial or policy skills, which produces poor judgement, delay, and short-term thinking.
  3. The rise of TV, the internet, social media, and personalised political staffs has weakened institutions and pushed governments back toward rule by favourites and amateurs, making states less capable and more erratic.

What research tells us about politicization and state capacity

Can We Still Govern? • 181 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Politicization in government can lead to lower performance and higher corruption. When hiring focuses on political loyalty rather than skills, it results in less competent people in key roles.
  2. State capacity, or the government's ability to perform effectively, can be weakened by politicization. This makes it harder for governments to achieve their policy goals and respond effectively to public needs.
  3. Investing in state capacity takes time and is often not rewarded by voters. People tend to support immediate relief efforts rather than long-term improvements that strengthen government functions.

The Personalist Presidency

Can We Still Govern? • 172 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The 'personalist presidency' emphasizes loyalty to one leader more than established rules or policies. This means that appointments and governance often depend on who is loyal rather than who is most qualified.
  2. Governance by fear is a new tactic that uses threats and conspiratorial messaging to intimidate public officials. This environment discourages dissent and makes it harder for them to do their jobs.
  3. There is a trend toward weakening traditional civil service protections, allowing more political appointees and less experienced individuals to take on critical roles. This change can lead to instability and inefficiency in government.

Jimmy Carter as public manager

Can We Still Govern? • 205 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Jimmy Carter was the last U.S. President to pass significant civil service reforms, focusing on modernizing and protecting government workers from political interference. This shows how important it is to balance accountability and ethics in government.
  2. Carter introduced the idea of Zero-Based Budgeting to the federal government, but it didn't work. This highlights the challenges of applying private sector methods in a political system that operates differently.
  3. The principles set by Carter's reforms for federal employees emphasize fairness and merit, which are important for creating a trustworthy government. Striking the right balance between political influence and protection for government workers is still an ongoing debate.

Dominic Cummings, An Underrated Precedent for DOGE

From the New World • 75 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. The UK government’s quick adaptations in tech and services during crises show a more centralized political system. This makes it easier to change things than in the US.
  2. Bureaucratic hiring processes in America often lead to unqualified candidates, which slows down progress. A more efficient system is needed for better talent acquisition.
  3. Fundamental reforms in government agencies are essential for improving efficiency and competence in services. It's not just about ideology; it's about making systems work better.

A tangible thing you can do today to fight Trump's takeover of the federal government

Can We Still Govern? • 215 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. You can take action against Trump's attempt to politicize the federal government by commenting on a proposed rule to neuter Schedule F.
  2. Public comments on rules can influence policy decisions and help protect the independence of the bureaucracy.
  3. Increasing politicization of government agencies can lead to lower performance, reduced accountability, and less responsiveness to Congress and the public.

How Politics Worked

David Friedman’s Substack • 179 implied HN points • 29 Dec 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Service
  1. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall describes and defends the machine system of politics in New York City in the early 20th century.
  2. Richardson's book explains how the precinct executives played a crucial role in the machine system by managing to swing a majority of votes in primary elections.
  3. The debate arises on whether the machine system of politics, as described by Plunkitt and Richardson, was a positive or negative force compared to modern democracy.