In public administration, the spoils system is a practise where elected officials or political leaders give their friends and allies government positions, appointments, and other incentives, frequently after winning an election. Based on the notion that election winners have the right to "spoil" their supporters with jobs and benefits in the government as a sort of political patronage, this practise is prevalent.
The spoils system's key features include:
Political Appointments: Under the spoils system, elected officials appoint persons to public jobs who contributed to their campaign or who are supporters of their political party, without necessarily taking into account those candidates' qualifications or suitability for the position.
Partisanship: Because the spoils system is intimately linked to political parties and favours those from the winning party in government appointments, it frequently produces a highly partisan government staff.
Patronage: Under this system, political leaders can reward their devoted supporters with jobs, contracts, and other favours from the government in order to keep their political authority and support base strong.
Lack of Meritocracy: Opponents claim that the spoils system can result in corruption, inefficiency, and a lack of meritocracy in government because hiring decisions are not always made on the basis of qualifications or competence.
The spoils system was common in the United States throughout the 19th century, but public service systems that prioritise professional skills and merit-based employment have generally supplanted it since then. By establishing a merit-based civil service system, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883, for instance, constituted a key step towards diminishing the power of the spoils system in the U.S. federal government. This reform attempted to make sure that qualifications and ability, rather than political favouritism, were used to fill posts in the administration.
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