Reformers’ ostensible meritocracy could be shattered by a single patronage appointment.

Evidence

The Bureau of Municipal Research, where, only a day before, Moses had been working, was just four blocks away from the Hall of Records, but Moses had come in that day a long way from the Bureau by any measurement other than distance. He had been looked down on by his associates there as a loudmouth and a failure. Now, after a single telephone call from a woman he hardly knew, he was suddenly in a position to call those associates—and invite them to apply to him for jobs. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 401

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the theme in this book that institutional reputation and perceived merit are fragile social constructs, comparable to how colonial bureaucratic standing depended on position rather than demonstrated talent — connects to: Patronage appointments to top civil service posts risked politicizing the service permanently — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 806

Broader Connections

• Patronage appointments to top civil service posts risked politicizing the service permanently #expands (0.90) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 806