States against Nations
Meritocracy, Patronage, and the Challenges of Bureaucratic Selection

By focusing on governments' use of meritocratic selection of bureaucrats, this book unearths a tension between state- and nation-building.

Nicholas Kuipers (Author)

9781009589215, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 August 2025

266 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.545 kg

'The book's breadth is impressive, and its argument opens a new avenue in the study of state formation and conflict. While some empirical claims are more convincing than others, and several links in the causal chain remain only partially substantiated, the book succeeds in reframing a foundational debate in the conflict literature. Rather than treating state capacity as mostly pacifying, Kuipers highlights how the very institutions that strengthen states may also deepen social exclusion and political resentment.' Krzysztof Krakowski, Journal of Peace Research

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.

1. Introduction
2. State-Building, Nation-Building, and a Theory of How Bureaucratic Selection Affects Both
3. Why Reform? Meritocratic Recruitment in Comparative and Historical Perspective
4. Explaining The Heightened Demand for Government Jobs
5. The Effect of Selection via Meritocracy in Contemporary Indonesia
6. Meritocracy and Patronage in Colonial Southeast Asia
7. Global Statistical Analyses: Some Indirect Tests
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB]