Merit-based civil service reduces patronage and inefficiency.
The 1854 report that created the modern British civil service, replacing patronage with competitive examination. It was fiercely resisted and became the template for most Commonwealth systems.
In practice
- A department that appoints on competitive examination produces officials who can be moved between posts, which patronage cannot.
- A firm that replaces founder-network hiring with structured assessment loses some good people and stops losing the same person twice.