ABSTRACT
Up until the beginning of the 1970s, the Belgian Postal Service was considered throughout the world as a model of an efficient public organization. In the last twenty years, however, primarily due to the economic recession, the situation and the image of the postal service have deteriorated considerably. More specifically, the main characteristics of this deterioration of postal services in Belgium include budget cutbacks, reduced staff, lack of training for new staff, stagnation of salaries compared with the private sector, demoralized personnel feeling increasingly insecure, increased complaints from users, deteriorating status of civil servants, and a tarnished image with public opinion. It is a clear example of what is being termed in many countries hollow government.
