States against Nations

Focusing on the challenges of bureaucratic recruitment, this book questions the virtues of meritocracies and develops a new theory about the conflicts facing governments that engage in both state- and nation-building. It is ideal for scholars in political science, history, sociology, public administration, public policy, law, and economics.

1. Introduction; 2. State-Building, Nation-Building, and a Theory of How Bureaucratic Selection Affects Both; 3. Why Reform? Meritocratic Recruitment in Comparative and Historical Perspective; 4. Explaining The Heightened Demand for Government Jobs; 5. The Effect of Selection via Meritocracy in Contemporary Indonesia; 6. Meritocracy and Patronage in Colonial Southeast Asia; 7. Global Statistical Analyses: Some Indirect Tests; 8. Conclusion.