This article explored the effects of rule formalization in Russian regional government. Based on a survey of 1098 regional and municipal civil servants the authors analyze the effect of Red tape and Green tape on job satisfaction and turnover intention. The study shows that “good” rule formalization (green tape) is associated with higher job satisfaction, whereas red tape is associated with lower job satisfaction and higher turnover intention. Additionally, a survey experiment is employed to evaluate the perception of meritocratic hiring criteria in the civil service: the results demostrate that respondents perceive meritocratic criteria as a more important selection factor than personal ties. Respondents who saw personal ties as an important hiring criterion show lower job satisfaction, this highlights the importance of meritocracy in personnel management in the civil service.