Merit System/Spoils System

Written By Jonathan Milner

Definition

The federal bureaucracy is the part of the US government that implements and enforces public policy. Both of these terms refer to different conceptions of how members of the bureaucracy (the civil service) should be hired and for whom their loyalty should lie.

  • Spoils - A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends. Bureaucrats in a spoils system answer to and serve at the discretion of their boss - the head of the spoils system and can be fired for political reasons.

  • Merit - A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage. Bureaucrats in a merit system answer to the constitution and are insulated from political pressure and can only be fired for cause (doing their job poorly) and not for any political reason.

    Prior to the emergence of a merit-based civil service, government workers also served at the whim of politicians. They were appointed not based on merit but political loyalties. Constant turnover was the norm as presidents appointed their own supporters. The establishment of a civil service that selected its workers based on an exam and protected them from undue political firing not only improved the quality of the public sector personnel, but also provided the continuity needed to run a government.  The Pendleton Act in 1883—a hallmark civil service reform in the U.S.—introduced merit-based selection and civil service protections to the U.S. bureaucracy and reduced personnel turnover and improved the quality of a key public infrastructure: the postal service. Since the beginning of the Trump Presidency, we have quickly moved from a merit based system that protects civil servants from political pressure to a spoils system where civil servants are picked and promoted based on their political allegiance. Trump’s Schedule F executive order on day one of his administration was a measure to allow him to fire more members of the bureaucracy. Currently, multiple class action suits have challenged the Trump administration’s mass firings of recent hires and other employees on their probationary periods, claiming the terminations were illegal and the workers should be reinstated.

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Example

 
 

Questions

  1. What is the difference between the merit system and the spoils system?

  2. If you were an autocrat and wanted the civil service to do your bidding would you implement a merit system or a spoils system?

  3. If you wanted the federal government to function impartially and in the interest of the public would you implement a merit system or a spoils system?

  4. Find an image or emoji that does a good job of conveying the meaning of the merit system.

  5. Find an image or emoji that does a good job of conveying the meaning of the spoils system.

  6. What is the relationship between federal bureaucrats and the branches of government?

  7. Who oversees the bureaucracy?

  8. Why are most bureaucrats non-political appointees?

  9. How did the The Pendleton Act in 1883 impact the federal bureaucracy? How do you think Trump’s Schedule F executive order will impact the federal bureaucracy?

  10. Are you more of a spoils system or a merit system kinda person?

Remember!

Now, let’s commit this term to our long-term memory. On a scrap piece of paper, take 10 or 20 seconds to draw merit system then draw the spoils system. Draw with symbols or stick figures if you wish. Nothing fancy. Don’t expect a masterpiece. No one else will see this but you. Look at your drawing. That’s all - now it’s downloaded into your memory. Destroy the piece of paper in a most delightful way.

Further Review

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Jonathan Milner

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