Posh Corps Podcast Ep. 16 Institution Posh Corps Podcast - Posh Corps

This episode of the Posh Corps Podcast investigates a fundamental flaw in Peace Corps policy which prevents the agency from embracing reform. This story is the fourth segment in The Reform Series, a four-part series about Peace Corps reform efforts. A provision within the Peace Corps Act limits employment at Peace Corps to a term of five years. This provision is known as "the Five-Year Rule." Numerous assessments have found that the Five-Year Rule creates serious disincentives toward high employee performance. The dynamic between the Five-Year Rule and a high number of political appointees at Peace Corps produces a fundamental flaw in Peace Corps policy. Chuck Ludlam and Paula Hirschoff served as Peace Corps volunteers in the Sixties, and they served again as volunteers in Senegal from 2005 to 2007. They found that Peace Corps had not matured as much as it should have over the years. They are among the very few volunteers who have successfully advocated for Peace Corps reform.