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2008 Assessment

Chile: Integrity Indicators Scorecard

Chile : Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Civil Service Regulations
Indicators		Score
44	Are there national regulations for the civil service encompassing, at least, the managerial and professional staff?	100
45	Is the law governing the administration and civil service effective?	61
46	Are there regulations addressing conflicts of interest for civil servants?	78
47	Can citizens access the asset disclosure records of senior civil servants?	67

Indicator and sub-Indicator Details

Are there national regulations for the civil service encompassing, at least, the managerial and professional staff?

44a: In law, there are regulations requiring an impartial, independent and fairly managed civil service.

Score:

YES

Comments: Appointments of higher officers in the civil service is decided by an independent and autonomous body. This mechanism is used to appoint directors of public policy agencies.

References: LEY Nº 18.575, Orgánica Constitucional de Bases Generales de la Administración del Estado (1999), art. 15-20, 43 -51; Ley nº 18.834, sobre Estatuto Administrativo, art. 9º y ss.; Decreto 859/2005 Ministerio de Hacienda, aprueba Reglamento del Consejo de Alta Dirección Pública establecido en la ley nº 19.882

44b: In law, there are regulations to prevent nepotism, cronyism, and patronage within the civil service.

Score:

YES

Comments: Law 18.575 states the incompatibility to incorporate people related to the ones who hold leading positions in the service. However, it doesn't establish criteria about political designations based on friendships. For directive positions, the rules are set by Decree 859.

References: LEY Nº 18.575, Orgánica Constitucional de Bases Generales de la Administración del Estado (1999), art. 54-56; Decreto 859/2005 Ministerio de Hacienda, aprueba Reglamento del Consejo de Alta Dirección Pública establecido en la ley nº 19.882.

44c: In law, there is an independent redress mechanism for the civil service.

Score:

YES

$Scoring Criteria :: YES: A YES score is earned if there is a mechanism to which civil servants and applicants for the civil service can take grievances regarding civil service management actions. The mechanism should be independent of their supervisors but can still be located within the government agency or entity (such as a special commission or board). Civil servants are able to appeal the mechanism\'s decisions to the judiciary. NO: A NO score is earned if no such mechanism exists.$

Comments: There are two mechanisms. The first one is the council for High Public Service (Consejo de Alta Dirección Pública), which must study the candidacy of civil officers to first level positions (jefes de servicios), suggest those for the second level (jefes de departamento), process the claims about the selection procedure and determine the profile of the civil servant that the position requires (decree 859/2002, art. 1, letras a)-j)). The second mechanism is the General Accountability Office (Contraloría General de la Republica), which has to inform about the appointments of each civil service employee.

References: Decreto 859/2005 Ministerio de Hacienda, aprueba Reglamento del Consejo de Alta Dirección Pública establecido en la ley nº 19.882, art. 1, letras a)-j)); Ley 18.995 Ley De Organización Y Atribuciones De La Contraloría General De La República

44d: In law, civil servants convicted of corruption are prohibited from future government employment.

Score:

YES

Comments: It is not prohibited automatically, yet there is the possibility to ban for life a person who has been convicted for corruption crimes. Penal Code, art 248 bis and 249 offers the option to ban those who accept bribes or misuse their influence (because of their position or connections). Article 233 and following, allows to ban temporarily or for life those who misuse public money. Law 19.653 bans people convicted for any crime to assume any position in the public service for the time they have been punished. Administrative Normative (Law 18.834), art. 158, about the extinction of administrative punishment, states that the punishment will end as soon as the penal action ends.

References: Penal Code, arts.233-following; 248bis & 249; Ley nº 18.834, sobre Estatuto Administrativo, art. 158; Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado

Is the law governing the administration and civil service effective?

45a: In practice, civil servants are protected from political interference.

Score:

100

Comments: In recent years, the civil service has been moving towards a total professionalization of public servants. Soon, only ministers and vice ministers and their closer collaborators will be appointed by political criteria. The rest of the public employees will have to be appointed through an open mechanism, where every professional can compete. However, this system is not fully operative yet for all services, and it has not been very effective in attracting people from the private sector (which was one of the main goals). Until this is fully operating, independence should not be considered guaranteed.

References: El Mercurio, Pablo Obregón, 08/19/2008, "Sólo 14% de los elegidos por la Alta Dirección Pública proviene del mundo privado", [ LINK ]; "Sistemas de servicio civil:una comparación internacional",

María de los Ángeles Mascott Sánchez, Centro de Estudios Sociales y de Opinion Publica de la Camara de Diputados, Estados Unidos Mexicanos, LVIII Legislatura, s.f. en [ LINK ]

Revista Capital, Lorena Rubio, may 2008, "Sistema de Alta Dirección. Gerente Público se busca en [ LINK ]

45b: In practice, civil servants are appointed and evaluated according to professional criteria.

Score:

100

Comments: Appointment have been moving towards a-political criteria, encouraging professionals from private or public services to apply, but positions are still assigned to people close to the government coalition.

References: Presentacion de Rosana Costa, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo al "II Foro de Políticas Públicas para una Sociedad Libre", abril 2008 en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección Pública: Camino Recorrido y por Recorrer", en Temas Publicos Num. 880, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección. Gerente Público se busca", Lorena Rubio, Revista Capital Num. 227 (2 al 15 de mayo de 2008) en [ LINK ]

45c: In practice, civil service management actions (e.g. hiring, firing, promotions) are not based on nepotism, cronyism, or patronage.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: Presentacion de Rosana Costa, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo al "II Foro de Políticas Públicas para una Sociedad Libre", abril 2008 en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección Pública: Camino Recorrido y por Recorrer", en Temas Publicos Num. 880, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección. Gerente Público se busca", Lorena Rubio, Revista Capital Num. 227 (2 al 15 de mayo de 2008) en [ LINK ]

45d: In practice, civil servants have clear job descriptions.

Score:

100

$Scoring Criteria :: 100 Score Criteria: Civil servants almost always have formal job descriptions establishing levels of seniority, assigned functions, and compensation. Job descriptions are a reliable representation of positions in terms of a persons authority, responsibility and base pay. 50 Score Criteria: Civil servants often have formal job descriptions, but exceptions exist. Some civil servants may not be part of the formal assignment of duties and compensations. Some job descriptions may not map clearly to pay or responsibilities in some cases. 0 Score Criteria: Civil servants do not have formal roles or job descriptions. If they do, such job descriptions have little or nothing to do with the position\'s responsibilities, authority, or pay.$

Comments: Civil servants appointed through the Civil Service System should achieve the goals identified by authorities. This goals should be assessed following "performance contracts" (convenios de desempeño). LyD report states that the performance tools are not well defined, which makes it very difficult for these civil servants to be clear about how their bosses will assess their work.

References: Presentacion de Rosana Costa, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo al "II Foro de Políticas Públicas para una Sociedad Libre", abril 2008 en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección Pública: Camino Recorrido y por Recorrer", en Temas Publicos Num. 880, Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo en [ LINK ]

"Sistema de Alta Dirección. Gerente Público se busca", Lorena Rubio, Revista Capital Num. 227 (2 al 15 de mayo de 2008) en [ LINK ]

45e: In practice, civil servant bonuses constitute only a small fraction of total pay.

Score:

100

$Scoring Criteria :: 100 Score Criteria: Civil servant bonuses constitute no more than 10% of total pay and do not represent a major element of take-home pay. 50 Score Criteria: Civil servant bonuses are generally a small percentage of total take-home pay for most civil servants though exceptions exist where some civil servants\' bonuses represent a significant part of total pay. 0 Score Criteria: Most civil servants receive bonuses that represent a significant amount of total take-home pay. In some cases bonuses represent the majority of total pay to civil servants.$

Comments: The article shows a reality that has been reported several times. Bonuses for civil servants represent in extreme cases almost 50 percent of their earnings.

References: Informe sobre la situación del servicio civil en América Latina, Koldo Echebarría (Editor), Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Washington, DC, 2006, en [ LINK ];

Revista Capital, Elena Martínez y Lorena Rubio, 09/05/2008, El sueldo de los elegidos, available at [ LINK ]

45f: In practice, the government publishes the number of authorized civil service positions along with the number of positions actually filled.

Score:

100

Comments: The list for higher ranked positions is available on the Servicio Civil web page. Otherwise, each service must publish on their web page the complete list of civil servants working there. That means the information is available, but it is not in just one place.

References: Servicio Civil webpage, [ LINK ]; Public service web pages.

45g: In practice, the independent redress mechanism for the civil service is effective.

Score:

100

Comments: There is not report on how many complaints have been presented because of these appointments.

References: Documentos de Trabajo nº94, September 2007, Rossana Costa y Mario Waissbluth, Tres Años del Sistema de Alta Dirección Pública en Chile, available online at [ LINK ];

Civil Service [ LINK ]

45h: In practice, in the past year, the government has paid civil servants on time.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009, Chile Report, Available online at [ LINK ]

Germán Mieres, Vicepresident Asocación Nacional de Funcionarios del Servicio de Impuestos Internos de Chile (Aneiich), interviewed on Oct. 24, 2008

45i: In practice, civil servants convicted of corruption are prohibited from future government employment.

Score:

100

Comments: Caso Coimas was an important case in Chile: three lower chamber representatives were found guilty of bribery and they were banned from future public employment. Another example is that of Julio Rojos, a former governor of a Chilean province, who was accused of using public funds to finance the campaign for a representative of Adriana Muñoz on 2001. In September 2007, he was found guilty, sentenced to 51 days in jail and banned from public service for life.

References: El Mercurio Online, Carolina Valenzuela, May 10, 2007, Suprema absuelve a Patricio Tombolini en caso Coimas, [ LINK ]

Itinerario de la corrupción 2007, Instituto Libertad, marzo de 2008, disponible en [ LINK ]

Are there regulations addressing conflicts of interest for civil servants?

46a: In law, senior members of the civil service are required to file an asset disclosure form.

Score:

YES

Comments: Law 19.653 states this compulsory disclosure for all elected authorities and those who were appointed by them. Directors of public policy agencies also have this obligation.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, arts. 57-60

46b: In law, there are requirements for civil servants to recuse themselves from policy decisions where their personal interests may be affected.

Score:

YES

Comments: This article states that public servants and public authorities disrespect the integrity principle if they decide over matters in which they or their relatives have any involved interest. In these situations, they should inform their direct boss.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, art. 62, nr. 6

46c: In law, there are restrictions for civil servants entering the private sector after leaving the government.

Score:

YES

$Scoring Criteria :: YES: A YES score is earned if there are regulations restricting civil servants\' ability to take positions in the private sector after leaving government that would present a conflict of interest, including positions that directly seek to influence their former government colleagues. NO: A NO score is earned if no such restrictions exist.$

Comments: They are banned for six months after leaving office to join the private sector companies they where overseeing.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, art 56

46d: In law, there are regulations governing gifts and hospitality offered to civil servants.

Score:

YES

Comments: It does not state a minimum amount. They are allowed to accept official donations, protocol gifts and small courtesy and good manners gestures.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, art. 62, nr. 5

46e: In law, there are requirements for the independent auditing of the asset disclosure forms of senior members of the civil service.

Score:

YES

Comments: Asset disclosures should be filed in the General Accountability Office (Contraloría General de la República), at the national or regional levels.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, art. 59

46f: In practice, the regulations restricting post-government private sector employment for civil servants are effective.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: "Más de lo mismo, el camino de la derrota", Carlos Huneeus, El Mostrador, 6 octubre 2008 [ LINK ];

Jorge Insunza y omisión de sus asesorías a Codelco:Cometí un error y concurriré a la Comisión de Etica, La Tercera, 23 de agosto de 2008, en [ LINK ];

"De funcionario público a director de empresa: Esa zona gris", Foro Ciudadano, Radio Universidad de Chile, 19 abril 2006, [ LINK ];

"Todos los hombres de Lagos", revista Capital número 203 (04 al 17 de may 2007), en [ LINK ];

46g: In practice, the regulations governing gifts and hospitality offered to civil servants are effective.

Score:

100

Comments: The law is not specific, so there are broad interpretations of what gifts public officers are allowed to accept.

References: "Buenas practicas en probidad, transparencia y acceso a la información en la administración del Estado", Secretaria Ejecutiva Agenda de Probidad y Transparencia, Gobierno de Chile, julio 2007;

Subsecretaria de Teecomunicaciones, Premian a Subtel por sus buenas prácticas de probidad, transparencia y acceso a la información, available at [ LINK ];

Silvana Lauzán, Directora del Programa de Derechos Humanos y Democracia, Centro de Derechos Humanos, Universidad de Chile, interviewed on Oct. 24, 2008.

46h: In practice, the requirements for civil service recusal from policy decisions affecting personal interests are effective.

Score:

100

Comments: The Ciper article determined that there are no statistics about recusal in the Senate. Only two senators (Andrés Chadwick and Eduardo Frei) excused themselves from voting in the studied period when they had to vote about their brothers' nominations.

References: Centro de Investigación e Información Periodística (Ciper), Juan Pablo Figueroa y Pedro Ramírez, Oct. 3, 2008, Las acciones y sociedades que los senadores no declararon, [ LINK ] ;

Silvana Lauzán, Directora del Programa de Derechos Humanos y Democracia, Centro de Derechos Humanos, Universidad de Chile, interviewed on Oct. 24, 2008.

46i: In practice, civil service asset disclosures are audited.

Score:

100

Comments: The Ciper article states that Senate asset disclosures are not being audited. However, the article itself is a proof that independent media can do it. The tax agency does not audit asset disclosures.

Germán Mieres, Vicepresident Asocación Nacional de Funcionarios del Servicio de Impuestos Internos de Chile (Aneiich), interviewed on Oct. 24, 2008

Can citizens access the asset disclosure records of senior civil servants?

47a: In law, citizens can access the asset disclosure records of senior civil servants.

Score:

YES

Comments: Asset disclosures should be filed in the General Accountability Office (Contraloría General de la República), at national or regional level. Article 61 states that asset disclosures are public records (available to anyone who requires them) and that they have to be updated every four years.

References: Ley 19.653 (1999) sobre Probidad Administrativa Aplicable de los Órganos de la Administración del Estado, arts. 59 and 61

47b: In practice, citizens can access the asset disclosure records of senior civil servants within a reasonable time period.

Score:

100

Comments: In some cases, disclosures are not available or can only be consulted but not downloaded from the internet.

References: Centro de Investigación e Información Periodística (Ciper), Juan Pablo Figueroa y Pedro Ramírez, May 29, 2008, Los bienes, platas y deudas que el Senado no ha querido publicar [ LINK ]

Jorge Burgos (diputado, lower chamber representative), La transparencia activa y el patrimonio de las autoridades, June 23, 2008 Blog post, [ LINK ]

47c: In practice, citizens can access the asset disclosure records of senior civil servants at a reasonable cost.

Score:

100

Comments: In some cases, disclosures are not available or can only be consulted but not downloaded from the internet.

Jorge Burgos (diputado, lower chamber representative), La transparencia activa y el patrimonio de las autoridades, June 23, 2008, Blog post, [ LINK ]