The Northern Ireland Civil Service

Although cursory examination reveals that one must refer to 'British civil services', a lacuna has persisted in the literature since Gladden's (1967) seminal work. Invariably, the tendency is to accord the Northern Ireland Ci vil Service (NICS)footnote status. This article seeks to remedy this defici ency. It offers a resume of the political context of Northern Ireland befor e concentrating upon NICS itself-its characteristics and changing nature in terms of public administration and the management of public policy since 1 970.