The New Public Service: Talent Pool or Brain Drain?

The government-centered public service is mostly a thing of the past.

Today’s most talented public servants are seeking to make a difference wherever they can, be it in government, nonprofit agencies, or private firms. During the past two decades, as Congress and the President have downsized the federal workforce and shifted the responsibilities to states and communities, hundreds of thousands of new public service jobs have opened up in the nonprofit and private sectors. The shift has created new opportunities for public service, but it has also forced government to compete for its fair share of talent in a much more mobile and far less loyal job market.

How can government make the most of this transition to a “new public service,” while keeping its own talented pool from going dry?