Les ambiguïtés de la sélection par concours dans la fonction publique territoriale : une institutionnalisation inachevée

The process of constructing a civil service in France at the local and regional levels (function publique territoriale) is examined by focusing on selective examinations for recruiting and promoting personnel. The political and administrative rationales are described that have, since the 1970s, institutionalized these examinations, which do not challenge the prerogatives of the elected officials to fill the employer's role. The incomplete process of bureaucratization in local and regional administrations affects how these examinations take place. The duty of civil servants to avoid expressing opinions in public is evaluated but by the elected officials who serve on the panels that select applicants. Although the “bureaucratic personality” is prized, expectations stemming from the current reference to managerial criteria moderate this emphasis. Though similar to examinations conducted in the central government's civil service, the selective examinations for local and regional government employees illustrate a determination to stand apart. These ambiguities show how weak the procedures related to these examinations are at a time when they have come under wide-ranging criticisms. The latter are amplified in local and regional administrations which, historically, differ significantly from the French Republic's merit-based model.