Spoils system
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
In a spoils system, the party that wins an election hands out government jobs to its own supporters. The name comes from the saying "to the victor belong the spoils". It was common in the 19th-century USA. It breeds favouritism and turns officials into party workers. The US ended it with the Pendleton Act (1883), which brought in merit recruitment. Britain chose merit through the Northcote-Trevelyan reforms (1854).
Example
India follows the opposite system. Civil servants are recruited on merit through examinations held by Public Service Commissions such as the UPSC. They stay in office whatever the election result. Party membership and election work are barred by Rule 5 of the AIS and CCS Conduct Rules.
Don't confuse with
- Lateral entry: this hires specialists on contract for mid and senior posts through the UPSC. It is not a reward for party loyalty after an election.
- Committed bureaucracy: here, career officers are expected to back the ruling party's programme. It is about the loyalty of existing officers, not about handing jobs to party supporters.
Related concepts
- Indian Civil Service
- Macaulay Committee (1854)
- Lee Commission (1923-24)
- Steel frame
- Civil Services Day