North Carolina’s bold move on civil service

Jennifer Pahlka · 20 Jul 2026

Jennifer Pahlka did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Real institutional turnarounds are evidence a system only functions when normal rules are circumvented, not that it works.

Their wordsThese wins are not proof that the system works; in fact, they are clear evidence that the system only works when it is circumvented.
Our reading
Compensation is not the core challenge of civil service systems.

Their wordsWhile I don't think compensation is the core challenge of civil service systems, of course it matters.
Our reading
AI is raising public expectations of government service at the same time it changes what government must deliver.

Their wordsEvery state, and the federal government right along with them, is about to be asked to do a lot more than keep the lights on.

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