MERIT SYSTEM VS SPOIL SYSTEM (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Governance)

Context: The UPSC has withdrawn its advertisement for lateral recruitment to 45 posts, including Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in the government. This decision contrasts with the "spoils system," where political appointments are made based on loyalty rather than merit.

Merit System vs Spoil System

• Appointment Process: The merit system involves appointments to government posts through a rigorous selection process conducted by an independent authority.
• Historical Background: In India, the merit system began in 1858 with the British introduction of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) to select officers for administering the country.
• Modern Application: After independence, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was established to conduct exams for selecting officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other central services.
• Purpose: The merit system aims to build career bureaucrats who are expected to function without political biases and provide independent advice to the political executive.
• Spoils System Definition: The spoils system operates on the principle of "to the victor belong the spoils," where the incumbent political executive appoints its supporters to government posts.

o Historical Context: The spoils system originated in the United States and continued until 1883 when it was largely replaced by the merit system.

o Current Scenario: Today, out of over 2.8 million federal government positions in the U.S., only about 4,000 senior posts are directly appointed by the President.

Lateral Entry

• About: In 2017, NITI Aayog proposed the induction of professionals into central government roles at middle and senior management levels.

Pros of Lateral Entry

• Lateral entry introduces much-needed specialization in governance, particularly in emerging fields such as technologies, semiconductors, climate change, digital economy, and cyber security.
• Lateral entry has the potential to make career bureaucrats more responsive, leading to positive changes within the bureaucracy.

Cons of Lateral Entry

• The field experience of IAS officers offers domain expertise and specialization that is difficult for lateral entrants to match.
• Lateral entry could lead to coordination challenges between career bureaucrats and external experts.
• Recruiting from the private sector may introduce risks of opaqueness and potential conflicts of interest during the hiring process.