Denhardt & Denhardt report that "one aspect of compensation policy that has received substantial attention over the years is the comparability of wages and salaries in the public and private sectors. Efforts to make such comparisons are similar to comparing apples and oranges, thus early studies tended to show public-sector salaries considerably below those in the private sector -- today ranging between 22 and 38%, depending on grade level." (p. 299) Accordingly, many agencies are under real economic pressure to improve pay scales of public employees and to close this notable gap. For Orange County, this prompts a recommendation to evaluate compensation strategies lest they should lose many of the best and brightest young public administration candidates to more lucrative private enterprising opportunities. Indeed, though the benefits and transparency of public administration may be appealing, these cannot compete with so wide a gap in compensation opportunities. If Orange County is to retain the high standards of public administration that have made it so appealing a destination for residents, there is no question that it will have to find ways to compete with private civil, administrative...

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