A Critical Exposition of the Politics of Merit and Representativeness in United States of America and Nigeria

Abstract

The phenomena of merit system and representativeness are taken to be the basic features of developed United States of America and  developing state of Nigeria. As such countries claim to be federal and democratic in operation, they as well claim to be more efficient and  effective in administrative system that is characterized by the principles and or instruments of merit system and representativeness  among others. A critical portrayal has shown that there is politics on the merit system and representativeness in respect of public  personnel administrations in United States of America (USA) and in Nigeria. Though most Americans claim that their public service is  highly democratic and therefore representative. This, Nigerians tend to be imitating. It is the critical position of this writing that despite  their claims, there are elements of discrimination with regards to sex, race and educational backgrounds. Taking all in all there is politics  of merit and representativeness in USA and Nigeria. There are the elements of partisanship and patronage in the degree of merit of  recruitment of public bureaucrats and also in the degree of representation of the various sects and strata of the society that determine  the extent to which the society is developed periodically and democratically. Though, it is more pronounced in the Nigerian system.