Abstract:
This paper analyses the training of civil servants in Portugal in the context of public administration reform. Starting with a brief background overview of the Portuguese administrative tradition the training of civil servants is placed in the context of the wider attempts to reform Portuguese public administration over the last few decades with a particular emphasis in the more recent ones. An outline of the key issues and challenges that are presently faced in the training of civil servants is presented and linked with some broader structural pressures faced by the Portuguese state. Finally, the results of a survey of a sample of civil servants engaged in a top-level training program are presented and analysed in order to assess their perceptions on some of the key issues outlined and point out some promising paths for further research.