Civil service, whether it is state or local, provides a measure of job security against political changes. Critics of the system have pointed to the bureaucratic rigidity of civil service and the lack of flexibility and discretion in decisions. The civil service systems came about in the late 1800s and early 1900s to solve the problems of political patronage and corruption in government agencies, and, in some states, they still strongly influence government personnel decisions. Over the years, not much has changed in the civil service system.