Merit in Times of Administrative Reforms

Abstract

In this paper, we question the way the Government of Portugal addressed merits in the public sector, in times of economic growth and austerity, as well as the balance of public finances. The paper looks at a period of economic growth
between 2000 and 2007, as well as the period of austerity since 2008. The crisis represented an opportunity to introduce changes in organization and management, and, as the literature predicts, the effects of austerity on administration and public policies were very significant. In this article, we question to what extent the Government of Portugal took advantage of the crisis as an opportunity to merit the value of the organizational culture of the Administration.