States against Nations

In 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.

• Offers a comprehensive analysis of the history of bureaucracy in at least five major case studies
• Develops an original theory that challenges received wisdom regarding the relationship between state- and nation-building
• Draws on original data from Indonesia to probe the mechanisms through which bureaucracy shapes mass opinion in Indonesia