01369nam a22001697a 4500 20260706115008.0 9781009589239 352.63KUI Kuipers, Nicholas States against nations: meritocracy, patronage, and the challenges of bureaucratic selection Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2025 xvi, 242p. 24 cm Bibliographical references and index n States Against Nations, Nicholas Kuipers questions the virtues of meritocratic recruitment as the ideal method of bureaucratic selection. Kuipers argues that while civil service reform is often seen as an admirable act of state-building, it can actually undermine nation-building. Throughout the book, he shows that in countries with high levels of group-based inequality, privileged groups tend to outperform marginalized groups on entrance exams, leading to disproportionate representation in government positions. This dynamic exacerbates intergroup tensions and undermines efforts towards nation-building. Drawing on large-scale surveys, experiments, and archival documents, States Against Nations provides a thought-provoking perspective on the challenges of bureaucratic recruitment and unearths an overlooked tension between state- and nation-building. Political development BK 11551 11551 0 0 0 0 U001 U001 International Relations 2026-06-19 97532.00 0 352.63KUI UR010535 2026-07-03 13:06:21 2026-07-03 BK 0 0 0 0 U002 U002 International Relations 2026-06-19 0 352.63KUI URD003147 2026-07-06 11:54:12 2026-06-19 BK