Performance in the Civil Service Incentive Structure: A Case Study of Tunisia

This paper attempts to answer the question: does the current employment management system of civil service in Tunisia incentivize performance? This paper is a case study that provides background information on the Tunisian civil service employment, and offers analysis based on existing legislation and reports, as well as expert interviews. The paper’s findings are: First, it does not have an evaluation system that separates high performers from low performers. Second, the current compensation structure and promotion mechanisms do not reward high performers. Based on the Tunisian context and other different case studies, this paper makes suggestions regarding approach to reform, evaluation system and reward system. Recommendations include decentralization, design of a job catalogue and quantifiable evaluation metrics, as well as reform of compensation structure and promotion mechanisms to better tie them to performance.