How to determine if there is nepotism in the administration. Career. Blat forever. Nepotism is a tradition of Russian companies. Clanism and financial crises
Nepotism - the preference given to relatives and friends over everyone else in hiring and promotion - is a public or private reality of business culture in many countries of the world. A BBC Capital correspondent is trying to figure out if this is good or bad.
Take Ana Patricia Botin, who inherited from her father the position of head of the Spanish banking group Santander. Or tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who appointed his sons as chief executives of media companies News Corp and 21st Century Fox. Or every fifth member of the British Parliament who pays a relative to perform the duties of a private secretary.
Although nepotism to varying degrees can be found everywhere in different countries relation to this phenomenon is different.
Thus, US law prohibits civil servants from hiring relatives.
On the private sector the outright ban does not apply, but US employers - as well as British ones - risk costly litigation if they hire mostly family and friends.
The Chinese State Anti-Corruption Agency is pursuing a crackdown on nepotism, cracking down, in its own words, on powerful "families" that control the country's key industries.
But in Italy or Spain, promotion through personal connections, and not career success, is a common thing. In these countries, this practice is for the most part considered acceptable.
Swiss-born Valerie Berset-Price founded Professional Passport, a consulting firm that helps companies overcome cross-cultural communication challenges within their workforce.
When Valerie went to the US to get a business education, she was surprised to hear from the teachers there that nepotism is undoubtedly a vicious practice, and in some cases even a criminal offense.
“Until I came to America, I didn’t even know the word for it - nepotism,” she says.
When Valerie first started her firm, she found that her American friends in high positions in leading companies were reluctant to recommend her services to their business associates.
“It wasn't that they didn't want me to succeed, they didn't like me, or they didn't believe in my business,” Berset-Price says. “It’s just that, according to their company policy, I would immediately lose any chance of attracting clients, since we were on a friendly footing with them.”
Differences in attitudes towards nepotism are predetermined by cultural differences. Residents of countries where maintaining close ties with relatives are an integral part of the national culture (often encouraged by the church) tend to view the patronage of relatives as a natural and socially approved way of caring for the well-being of the family.
“There is practically no open competition for job openings in Spain,” says Joe Haslam, an entrepreneur and senior staff member at a business school in Madrid. Haslam lives and works in Milan, Italy.
He continues: “On top of everything else, no one [in Spain and Italy] can consider the position he occupies 100% his own - it turns out that you are heating a chair for a relative who will receive this position after you. If a member of the family does not have a job, it is considered common problem all family. Undoubtedly, with this approach, positions are often given to not the best candidates - simply because they are directly or indirectly related to someone from the leadership.
This practice certainly has its advantages. As Haslam explains, family ties build employee loyalty so that an employer doesn't have to worry about a competitor poaching a talented employee.
In addition, it is easier and cheaper to hire staff on the basis of private recommendations than in the case of open job advertisements.
And yet everyday manifestations of nepotism can harm the economy as a whole.
For starters, they scare off foreign investors: according to a 2014 EU anti-corruption report, 67% of investors working with Greek companies see nepotism as “a very serious or fairly serious problem.”
Moreover, according to one study, corruption coupled with nepotism can cost lives.
Child mortality in countries with a high level of corruption is about a third higher than in countries where the indicators of corruption are minimal. (highlighted by us, website)
On a personal level, problems arise when a person tries to find a job alone, without acquaintances and support.
“You need connections to get a job in Italy,” says Italian-born Gabriel Fabrizio Zbalbi, owner of a real estate firm. - This is especially true for graduates. educational institutions who do not yet have business contacts. Therefore, young, educated people (about 60,000 a year, or seven out of ten graduates), desperate to find work in Italy, leave the country to work abroad.”
Zbalbi is confident that the high unemployment rate in Italy is one of the main reasons for the departure of graduates - among young people, the unemployment rate in June 2015 reached a record level of 44.2%.
However, the system of widespread nepotism also plays its role.
A survey conducted in 2013 by the Italian Ministry of Labor showed that 61% of companies are guided by personal recommendations when hiring new employees - according to Zbalbi, in the public sector, some positions are actually hereditary.
Take, for example, the recent scandal, when it turned out that more than half of the teaching staff of the University of Palermo are related to at least one of the employees of this university.
Hiring friends and relatives with the knowledge and skills needed for the job is one thing. But if their primary advantage is family ties, the practice simply doesn't give more qualified candidates a chance to break into the job market, says Jane Sunley, founder of London-based recruitment firm Purple Cubed.
“This approach can be disruptive to corporate culture because companies don't recruit people who can bring new ideas and technical expertise with them,” she says. “In addition, in the era of globalization, businesses have to work with people from many different cultures, which is not so easy when all the staff of the company have similar life and cultural backgrounds.”
If you are not comfortable with the practice of nepotism in your home country, you can try to find a job in a country where personal connections do not matter so much.
This is exactly what Zbalbi did during the 2008 recession - he left Italy and created a new real estate company in Mexico.
“In the new location, no one knew me or my company; nevertheless, clients still came to us, convinced of the quality of our work, he recalls. - For the same thing to happen in Italy, you would first have to change the entire corporate culture countries".
Synectics Method - Using Analogies to Make Decisions
The method of synectics and what is its essence The method of synectics ...
More than once she was in a situation where she turned out to be "special, close to the sovereign-emperor." That is, either a relative or a good friend of high authorities. An unpleasant, I tell you, feeling ...
From an early age, I was sent to a pioneer camp, the director of which was my aunt. At first, at the age of 10, I was happy: at least some kindred spirit was nearby! And feed, and help, if anything. Then I noticed that they were looking at me...
The older I got, the worse I got. Everyone was afraid of me, both pioneer leaders and peers. Of course, not those with whom we became friends from childhood and traveled together from year to year, but newcomers. Against my will, I had to carry the annual load: I was obsequiously elected chairman of the council of the squad. I would like to sleep - and I have to get up before everyone else, for a planning meeting in the director's office! Girlfriends with boys are walking, and Katya is preparing another competition ... Brrr!
But there were also pluses. The counselors were afraid that I would tell my aunt about their nightly adventures, so they had to take me with them to barbecues (there was a forwarder in the company who, of course, stole meat ...). They drink vodka themselves, but for me, a 15-year-old, they specially bought weak wine ... So that, it means, I was “tied” with them ... 
Having received a diploma as a teacher of Russian and literature, she was confused: in those days, teachers were not paid for six months. My father had a quick talk with his good friend - the head of the women's juvenile colony, and they quickly assigned me "over the fence", to an evening school.
My fellow teachers just hated me! Firstly, the youngest teacher was 35 years old (I'm 22). Secondly, they paid there on time, and with all sorts of extra charges, so everyone dreamed of either attaching their girlfriend (relative) to a vacant place, or grab a second rate for themselves. Thirdly, never in the history of the existence of this school has a snot taught with absolutely no work experience. Thus, the local pedagogues figured out at the moment that I didn’t fall from the sky, but that I was the protégé of someone very high. Who exactly - also soon found out ...
At first, I was very annoyed with all sorts of open lessons, the director and the head teacher periodically dropped in during the lesson. When they realized that I was doing a great job and had no problems with ladies in pea coats, they fell silent. But that seemed to piss them off even more... 
A few years ago, I showed up in one of the newspapers, in which my very good friend “edited”. “Where is Kolyunya?” - blurted out, like a fool, from the threshold. Well, I didn’t know that he would offer me a permanent job. And never knew his patronymic.
So, from the first working day, employees twice my age began to call your humble servant exclusively by their first name and patronymic ... I asked a hundred times to tie them up with this patronymic - no way! That's what I got because of "Koluni". She was ready to tear out all the hair under her arms by her stupid tongue, but nothing could be fixed ...
2. Try not to find out about your friendships / family relationships at the new job.
3. If you still found out, you will have to prove for more than one month that you are not just a professional, but a super pro.
4. Never give food for gossip like "they are lovers"
5. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to follow the orders of a friend / relative with whom you have drunk more than one “glass of tea”.
6. Have the courage to leave if new job won't like it.
Well, that's probably all. If anyone can help me with my advice, I will be very happy!
It just so happened that often professional skills and knowledge do not matter when applying for a job, where everything is decided by family ties. Is it possible to fight this?
All companies can be conditionally divided into 2 groups: some care about the high performance and income of the company, others do not put profit at the forefront. It is relatively easy to build a career in the first group of companies. If you are useful, then relations with colleagues and management will be good, and you will receive a decent salary, depending on your contribution to the common cause. And if you voice an interesting profitable offer, the management will definitely hear you.
A hotbed of nepotism
The second group of companies does not set as its goal a constant increase in profits, does not strive for efficiency and profitability. This is a barge that floats calmly downstream. In such a firm, as a rule, there is a patriarchal structure, rigid vertical subordination, and not the result, but the process itself is welcomed. Just like at the Olympics: the main thing is not victory, but participation. Two-thirds of the work in such a company is low-skilled, therefore, it can be entrusted to anyone, including a lazy nephew. Here, people are hired on a kinship basis, and bonuses and other benefits are distributed in the same way. Therefore, if you are not a matchmaker or a brother, your salary will not depend on the results of your work and work efficiency. And for narrow specialists, such a company is a trap. Management knows that it is difficult to get a job in your profession, you have nowhere else to go, so they will calmly push around such a specialist, or even show signs of tyranny. Try to find a job as a conductor of a chamber choir or a prop maker for a puppet theater, if it is the only one in the city.
When nepotism does not threaten
Small specialized companies of up to 10 people are unlikely to use nepotism in personnel policy. Here, every employee is in plain sight, he is worth his weight in gold. The team must be strong and cohesive, otherwise you simply cannot survive in the business world. The same goes for IT companies, where professionalism is at the forefront. Attaching a relative in such cases is pointless and stupid. But he can easily find a place in a huge company, which are, for example, large retail chains. But a negligent relative himself will not be able to work in such conditions. Those who have been shopping in one hypermarket for years know that sellers who have lasted at least 6 months can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The staff turnover is terrible. But a large plant under the wing of the state is a safe haven. Here you can profitably attach your daughter, and sister, and niece, and many others. Especially if you are the head of labor of one of the departments.
Is there any justification for nepotism
Nepotism is not a natural disaster. This practice has been established for a long time, is firmly rooted and is still relevant today. Why? Yes, first of all, because it is beneficial to the business owner, who knows that a stranger will steal, but a relative will not. The statement is, of course, doubtful, especially in modern conditions, but entrepreneurs think this way: why should the mother-in-law steal? Drag from the family? It's illogical. Although there are situations when a brother is ready to strangle a brother for a hundred thousand. Another business owner warms the role of a benefactor, which he tries on himself, arranging a job for a relative. Yes, and the parents of an overgrown dunce turn out to be dependent on who placed their child. Sometimes personnel situations arise when it doesn’t matter who to hire, so why not protect a relative? And he will be grateful to you, and you are "in chocolate": he did not let the abyss.
How to use nepotism to your advantage
Eastern wisdom says: the soft always wins the hard. River water will absorb a thrown steel sword and make a neat round stone out of any granite stone, just give it time. You must also act in this vein. There are two ways: either become the boss's favorite, favorably differing from the boss's lumbering relatives, or make friends with one of them. If you're lucky, you'll be part of the boss's family, albeit indirectly, and this is already an achievement. On this score, the Russians also have a good proverb: an affectionate child sucks two queens.
To be a truth-teller in our society is dearer to oneself. Colleagues will certainly admire your fearlessness in the smoking room. But what will such a position give you when you hit the boss “not in the eyebrow, but in the eye”? You will fall into disgrace rather quickly, they will want to get rid of you, and, rest assured, they will find a more than convincing reason for dismissal. So, it makes no sense to break spears in your position, but to adapt ... The word is ugly, of course, we agree, so let's call it the same thing, but in a modern way: to integrate into the team. BUT? What?! To become your own among strangers is Mikhalkov's way, there is intrigue in this, which means it will be interesting. Try to use the abundance of relatives in the company to your advantage, and get tangible benefits from this.
Is it necessary to fight nepotism
Such actions from the standpoint of a particular person will resemble the efforts of Don Quixote in the fight against windmills. Moreover, the attitude to this phenomenon (nepotism) is not devoid of subjectivity. This is like the situation on the road, when drivers believe that pedestrians are walking incorrectly, and those, in turn, that drivers are driving illiterately. If you are truly a great specialist, no crony company can resist your professionalism. For example, you are a former military diver. Who can compete with you in surveying a sunken ship? Silly brother of the chief or his nephew-okhlamon? Here you have the flag in your hands. You can even dictate your terms in an unobtrusive way.
To enter into a confrontation with the nepotism network is pointless. This is a powerful organism, systemic and merciless. Your confident victory over his little finger will be almost imperceptible. And if you decide to fight with your head, the brain will give a command to the leg, and it will give you such a kick that it will discourage any desire to compete with the body. Therefore, if you are faced with the choice of being right or being successful, always choose the latter. And you can always agree with your principles. Imagine that you do not go to work, but to a rehearsal in a theater where you play a certain role. Finished the shift - the rehearsal was over. And you are again an ordinary person with your principles, which did not suffer at all. Nepotism is just an environment in which you have to learn how to live, like in the taiga or in the jungle, where there are their own laws, and they must be observed.
Mikhail Vorontsov
Corruption threatens the very existence of the state, acts as the main obstacle to improving the living standards of the population, developing the economy, and establishing civil society. The growth of corruption in Russia is one of the main anti-factors in attracting foreign investment and modern technologies to Russian industry. The list of negative consequences of corruption is long. In this regard, an effective fight against corruption inevitably entails fundamental changes not only in the state, but also in society as a whole. One of the reasons why corruption is rooted in Russia is its systemic nature.
The authors of the monograph devoted to the problem of corruption in modern Russia considered, in particular, the typology of this phenomenon: from “grassroots” corruption to corruption “ high level”, corruption in power and in civil society, economic and ideological corruption. In this material, we will talk about "soft corruption" - nepotism, crownism, protectionism, favoritism, nepotism, clannishness, parochialism.
An excerpt from the monograph: Sulakshin S.S., Maksimov S.V., Akhmetzyanova I.R. etc. "State policy of combating corruption and the shadow economy in Russia". Monograph in 2 volumes.
Corruption "soft" and "hard"
One of the most frequently used scientific and practical comments on the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation65 indicates that selfish interest as a motive for a crime in the composition provided for in Art. 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, can be expressed in the desire of the subject to obtain, through the abuse of official powers, any property benefit from the illegal gratuitous withdrawal of state funds into his own property or the property of other persons: to obtain, for example, out of turn an apartment for himself or his relatives. Another personal interest, as a motive for abuse of official powers, can be expressed in the desire of the subject to derive a non-property benefit from his actions: to please the authorities, careerism, nepotism, etc. Thus, it is possible to draw, if necessary, a distinction between "hard" ( classical) and "soft" corruption.
In addition to bribery, there are many other specific forms (manifestations) of corruption: favoritism, nepotism (nepotism), kronism (protectionism), lobbyism and “blat” (connections). It is apparently impossible to compile an exhaustive list of types of corrupt activities. In Russia, "feeding" once existed legally, it is difficult to distinguish it from bribery and covetousness, and - what can we say - about such a common in Russia, almost ritual form of bribery as "greyhound puppies". Feeding may have been the first manifestation of what, from an economic point of view, is assessed as double taxation66.
Nepotism, nepotism, kronism, protectionism, favoritism, nepotism, clanism, parochialism in general
In Art. 13 of the Model Code of Conduct for Civil Servants, annexed to Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of 11 May 2000 No. R (2000) 10 on codes of conduct for civil servants, states: “a conflict of interest arises in a situation where a civil servant has a personal interest which affects or may affect the objective and impartial performance of his official duties", and that "the personal interest of a public official includes any benefit to him (her) personally or to his (her) family, relatives, friends and associates, as well as to persons and organizations with which he (she) has or had business or political relations. This concept also includes any financial or civil obligation that a public servant has.
This definition seems to cover most of the examples of "soft" corruption given.
About conflict of interest
In Art. 36.24 of the Federal Law "On Non-State Pension Funds" dated May 7, 1998 No. 75-FZ and Art. 35 of the Federal Law "On investing funds to finance the funded part of the labor pension in Russian Federation» dated July 24, 2002, No. 111-FZ defines a conflict of interest, which, for the purposes of this Federal Law, means that officials and their close relatives have rights that provide the opportunity for these persons to receive material and personal benefits personally or through a legal or actual representative as a result of the use of their official powers in relation to the investment of pension savings, or information on the investment of pension savings, which became known to them or is at their disposal in connection with the implementation officials professional activities related to the formation and investment of pension savings.
In the Federal Law "On Non-Commercial Organizations" dated January 12, 1996 No. 7-FZ in Art. 27 interest in the commission of certain actions by a non-profit organization, including transactions, entails a conflict of interests of the interested persons and the non-profit organization, and persons interested in the commission of certain actions by the non-profit organization, including transactions, with other organizations or citizens (hereinafter referred to as interested parties), the head (deputy head) of a non-profit organization, as well as a person who is a member of the management bodies of a non-profit organization or bodies supervising its activities, if these persons are with these organizations or citizens in labor relations, are participants, creditors of these organizations or are in close family relations with these citizens or are creditors of these citizens. At the same time, these organizations or citizens are suppliers of goods (services) for a non-profit organization, large consumers of goods (services) produced non-profit organization, own property that is fully or partially formed by a non-profit organization, or can benefit from the use, disposal of property of a non-profit organization.
Here, in particular, informal friendly relations are excluded everywhere ( kronism), as well as ethnic ( tribalism).
Further, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Art. 27 of the above Federal Law, if a person has an interest in a transaction to which a non-profit organization is or intends to be a party, as well as in the event of another conflict of interests between the said person and the non-profit organization in relation to an existing or proposed transaction: he is obliged to report his interest to the authority management of a non-profit organization or a body supervising its activities until a decision is made to conclude a transaction; the transaction must be approved by the governing body of the non-profit organization or the body supervising its activities.
A transaction in which there is an interest and which has been concluded in violation of the requirements of this article may be declared invalid by a court.
An interested person shall be liable to a non-profit organization in the amount of losses caused by him to this non-profit organization.
Measures to prevent the emergence of a conflict of interest in relation to officials of federal executive bodies involved in the process of regulation, control and supervision in the field of compulsory pension insurance, officials of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, as well as members of the Public Council are established by the Government of the Russian Federation, and measures to prevent the emergence of a conflict interests in relation to officials of subjects and other participants in relations for investing pension savings are established in the codes of professional ethics of the relevant organizations.
Closely related to conflicts of interest are negative phenomena such as abuse of official position for personal purposes, favoritism (nepotism and nepotism) and the corruption that develops on their basis.
Favoritism: nepotism, nepotism
Under favoritism we understand the assignment of services or the provision of resources to relatives, acquaintances, in accordance with belonging to a particular party, clan, religion, sect and other preferred groupings, which negatively affects the quality of public activity and contributes to the inefficient and unfair distribution of public resources among those who have special claims to public office.
Nepotism is a system of power built on kinship, and kronism is a system of power based on bosom friends.
Nepotism has a completely Russian synonym - nepotism (a form of favoritism, when the leader prefers to nominate his relatives and friends for positions).
With nepotism fought and Soviet power. So, in the Approximate charter of the agricultural artel, adopted by the II All-Union Congress of Collective Farmers-Shock Workers and approved by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on February 17, 1935, it was indicated that the work is distributed by the foreman among the members of the artel, not allowing any nepotism, nepotism when distributing work.
But even in our time, nepotism is not always and not always considered a disadvantage in itself. For example, the leader of the Party of Regions of Ukraine V. Yanukovych does not consider the appointment of relatives to leadership positions as a negative phenomenon. He stated this at a press conference, answering a question from journalists about whether his party would fight "nepotism" in power, an example of which was the appointment of the nephew of the President of Ukraine V. Yushchenko as deputy governor of the Kharkiv region. In this regard, V. Yanukovych noted: “If the “godfathers” are non-professionals, if their work has a negative impact on the state of the region, then we have fought and will continue to fight against such appointments. But if relatives are professionals and know their business, then what's so terrible about it? God forbid that there are more relatives working for the benefit of Ukraine.” By the way, according to the list of the Party of Regions, the eldest son of V. Yanukovych (also Viktor) passed to the parliament of Ukraine.
For Russia, this problem has become more urgent in connection with the appointment of persons who are relatives of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation to the positions of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. Obviously, for persons holding public office, this problem should be resolved in the near future at the level of the Federal Law - for example, as it is resolved in relation to civil servants.
On tolerance for conflicts of interest
The negative consequences of tolerance for conflicts of interest, their prevalence are the creation of unilateral advantages, the violation of a level playing field of competition or access to public resources and services.
Tolerance for conflicts of interest contributes to the formation of clans (monopoly or dominant groups) under the state “roof”, providing favorable conditions for themselves to the detriment of the interests of the state, competitors and third parties. The ability to make the decisions provided for by the position (to take actions) in one's own interests is a mechanism for unjust enrichment - much more profitable and safer than receiving a bribe for general patronage or connivance.
Given the existing tolerance for conflicts of interest, the effectiveness of public administration (including spending) of public resources is inherently low.
Any amount of budgetary resources in this case will be embezzled or misused in the interests of the managers of these resources. At the same time, the prestige of the state, the public service and a particular body of state power will inevitably be damaged.
Most of the distrust of state authorities by a significant part of Russians is generated precisely by the tolerance for conflicts of interest that prevails in society. The population cannot trust public authorities, whose officials, without hiding the existing conflict of interest, defiantly ensure the priority of protecting their interests in relation to state interests. Moreover, the use of official position for personal purposes is usually difficult to prove in the course of an investigation, as a rule, it is obvious to others. This may not even be condemned (“we all live like this”), but it does not add trust to state bodies.
In Russia, a significant number of officials (including federal ministers, their deputies, deputies of the State Duma and members of the Federation Council, other persons filling government positions of ministers and up to chief specialists) of various ministries and departments are included (often for a fee) on the boards of directors joint-stock companies and companies, in connection with which there is an actual “merging” of the state and business, which in most cases, in our opinion, is legalized corruption. This practice actually legalizes the constant conflict of personal and state interests, which serves as an objective basis for the illegal lobbying activities of persons holding public office. Power is merging with property, creating new deeply hidden corrupt technologies.
In our opinion, it is necessary to reconsider the question of the representation of civil servants in joint-stock companies with a share of state capital. Under current legislation, civil servants are prohibited from engaging in other paid activities, including entrepreneurial activities, participating in the management of joint-stock companies, etc. In some countries, such as the United States, even scientific and teaching paid activities of civil servants are prohibited or restricted. In Russia, on the contrary, this is a common practice. A rare high-ranking official today is not a "major scientist" in the relevant area of public administration.
Clanism and financial crises
It is known that the clan is the most durable and dominant form of solidarity, consanguineous and patronage-client integration-identification of individuals, which has grown out of the traditional primitive society for thousands of years. At the same time, this is the most dangerous and disastrous form of grouping and recruiting elites for undeveloped democratic societies, since here the beginning of the bond between people is not personal properties and virtues, but random biological and natural relationships of kinship, nepotism, fellowship, etc. As a result, the nation weakens , is divided into many competing clans, tribes, zhuzes, their segregation, inequality and injustice arise, leading the ethnic group to self-destruction.
Some experts believe that Asian countries (Korea, and especially Indonesia and Thailand) are characterized by significant levels of corruption, including nepotism, shelter from taxation of profits and assets, which can be called "thieves' capitalism."
At the epicenter of the financial crisis of 1997, oddly enough at first glance, were the most dynamic countries - South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, which managed to short time to go through a considerable (albeit unequal) part of the path separating them from the leaders of the world economy. The fact is that when forming in these states the basic economic structures, acting as the locomotives of growth, there were many "distortions" associated with the traditions of nepotism and favoritism, manifested in clan, kinship and other informal ties that do not "fit in" with the laws of the modern market economy. "Greenhouse" conditions facilitated and accelerated the formation of these structures and their subsequent expansion. But at the same time, the issues of separating power from property remained unresolved. The necessary business transparency was also not achieved.
The traditions of nepotism, fellowship, and economically unjustified favoritism still flourishing in Russia, which breed personnel confusion, incompetence and corruption, as analysis shows, can completely nullify all the efforts of the state to modernize the economy and return Russia to the status of an economic superpower.
From parochialism to separatism - one step
It should be noted that the term "parochialism" can be used as a characteristic of not only economic, but also political corruption that produces separatism (Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Chechnya). The transition from clannishness, tribalism and parochialism to particularism (regionalism) and separatism occurs quite naturally as the necessary conditions mature and (consciously or unconsciously) the weakening of legitimate forms of social communications. This can be combated by the legislative introduction practiced in other countries of the concept of normative (mandatory) ethnic (national) proportional representation in government bodies (both local and state). For example, in the Soviet Union, the "proportional" composition of workers, women and national minorities in party and state structures was provided by calculation.
As you know, common crime flourishes when it finds support in political crime, in the corruption of the bureaucracy. Contrary to declarations about the fight against privileges, unprecedented scales have assumed - the distribution of benefits that make it possible to almost uncontrollably plunder the state treasury, nepotism, nepotism, "telephone law", the use of power to discredit political opponents and business competitors. All these are rather traditional features of the decomposition of state power. In Russia, it has assumed frightening proportions, and the process of privatization of state and municipal property has become a breeding ground for it, often illegitimate or controversial in legal relation in a way that is nevertheless recognized by a certain part of society in whose favor the corresponding privatization was carried out.
Friendship or kronism?
Friendship and nepotism (nepotism) are singled out as a separate type of corruption. They lead to facts such as large concessions in deals, appointments of relatives to key positions, preferential purchases of personal property, access to hard currency, and other such facts. Control over these areas of business creates the preconditions for their use for corruption purposes. The distribution of such benefits is carried out among a small group of the elite and their families, who are expected to return in the form of bribes and other "thanks". Corruption in the family circle is not as widespread as trade bribes and patronage systems. As already noted, from the point of view of law, corruption can be briefly defined as the illegal use of public office for personal gain. The term "illegal" means that there are laws (regulations) regulating the behavior of persons holding public positions of state and municipal employees. The actual observance or non-observance of these laws and the punishment for their violation is another matter.
While hosting relatives and friends is not considered abnormal in our society, nepotism is not at all so harmless. Nepotism is officially banned in many countries. For example, the United States has an Office of Government Ethics. Its experts develop sets of rules for all civil servants, and also monitor their compliance. In the United States, they also monitor kronism, when stable friendly relations exist between top officials. So, for example, if an inspector is sent to a firm with an inspection, and the director of this firm is his classmate, he must report this.
And yet, an opponent of the current Washington administration, Hillary Clinton, now a Democratic senator from the state of New York, said in January 2006: “Now we have a culture of corruption, kronism, incompetence. I predict that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever ruled our country." In other countries, nepotism is also being fought. In March 2005, Israeli Finance Minister B. Netanyahu signed new rules for hiring in a state-owned company. Now the enterprise does not have the right to hire an employee if his relative works there, holding a managerial position or receiving a large salary.
Back in 2001, the Cypriot Parliament adopted a law according to which nepotism became a criminal offense. Those convicted of this must pay a fine of $ 4,000 or spend a year behind bars.
In China, nepotism is dealt with in its own way: the Commission for Discipline Inspection banned the children of high-ranking Chinese officials from doing business. Family members of executives have no right to enter into real estate transactions, work in the field of advertising, own law firms, as well as open discos, nightclubs, karaoke bars. And those who are already employed in these areas should quit or be punished.
In Poland, all civil servants are required to tell their superiors if their family members are in business. For an attempt to hide such information, officials must pay a fine or lose their chair. Moreover, in case of dismissal, they will not be able to accept gifts from people whom they helped while working in public authorities.
Some results
Summing up, it should be noted:
Classical (“hard”) corruption (bribery, commercial bribery) is completely institutionalized as social relations become more complex and is supplemented by new pseudo-institutional corruption mechanisms that, in each specific historical period of time, adapt to the new conditions of public-personal communications, easily replacing missing or lagging ones in development of legitimate social mechanisms;
The distinction between “hard” (classical) and “soft” corruption may allow developing additional mechanisms for protecting against relatively new types of corruption and controlling old ones;
The transition from parochialism to particularism (regionalism) and separatism can be explained by the development and rebirth economic corruption into the ideological (political), which certainly makes it possible to notice danger signals for the state integrity itself in time.
Nepotism... V recent times in funds mass media nepotism began to be mentioned as one of the most destructive influences on the state. It is nepotism that today is called a real disaster, the cause of collapse and devastation in the post-Soviet states. Some researchers argue that the damage from nepotism is no less than from corruption, in which we all literally drowned a long time ago. But, despite the fact that the disgust of nepotism is obvious as day, most of us, when it comes to our own children, become the real champions of nepotism and see nothing wrong with it.
What is nepotism really? What are the psychological roots of nepotism?
Why is nepotism a real scourge? Why is nepotism so much of a problem?
What threatens the state with total nepotism in all government bodies?
The main destructive power of nepotism is that each of us justifies it when it comes to our own children, relatives, friends. And if we condemn corruption with all our hearts (although we ourselves continue to steal, even a little), then we justify nepotism (with the exception of cases at the very top) with all our hearts, inwardly agreeing that our own shirt is still closer to the body than someone else's.
Nepotism in law - division into one's own and other people's children
At the heart of nepotism lies the division into one's own and other people's children. At the root of this phenomenon lies a natural need, which can be easily seen in the animal world. Your children are always more important and priority for a living being. But animals do not feel their neighbor, do not feel, like people, sympathy or remorse, they are driven by instincts, and instinct says that your child is above all.
In the process of development, humanity has developed a wide variety of relationships between people, which are based on different feelings: from the primitive exploitation of one person by another and ending with tolerance and respect for each member of the group.
But still, the division into one's own - other people's children remains with a person. This is due to the psychological peculiarity of 20% of the population - carriers of the anal vector. Tradition, respect for fathers, looking back at past generations, passing on information from generation to generation are the priorities of any person with an anal vector. And the main thing in his life is always children - for them, the anal man earns, he wants to convey all the best to them, they are in the center of his attention.
All anal values have always been very close to each of us, even those who do not have this vector. This is due to the mental superstructure that has formed on our urethral-muscular mentality.
Separating your child from a number of others is like a vestige in the human body. It does nothing and nobody needs it. There are no other people's children, and in order for your own to grow up as good people, it is worth making an effort, and not just poke all the best at them simply because they their.
The vertical of control leads to nepotism
The rest of the people naturally get the feeling that those who are at the top have more opportunities, which means a better life. We do not want a standard for our child to be like everyone else. Any parent will do everything to somehow push their child a little higher. At the same time, neither the law, nor social foundations, nor social shame will become an obstacle. After all, this is my own son, and in the current distorted system of relationships in a country where unscrupulous corrupt officials rule the show, I simply set a good fate for my son.
As a result - the development of enchanting nepotism, which has become a real disaster for the country.
Nepotism at work, in culture, in everyday life - we die under the weight of relationships with incompetent people
If nepotism spread only to one's own children and manifested itself at low levels, for example, among officials of small towns, then most likely it would be a brake, but not a disaster. The problem is that we all, each of us, unconsciously introduce nepotism into our lives at all levels. Not only in government from the very bottom to the very top, but in all areas - this case is equally common among doctors in city hospitals and clinics, teachers in schools and teachers in institutes, among creative people. And not only our own children become a priority, everyone follows this pattern: brothers and sisters, godfathers and friends, colleagues and colleagues.
And we are acting according to the well-known scenario. As soon as a new position is formed around us (or rather, a "warm place"), we immediately go over in the brains of all relatives and acquaintances who could be attached there. And on the other hand, as soon as an unemployed person or a graduate from among close people appears, we immediately think where to attach him, who to ask him to put him in at least some "warm place". Notice how we all think we have a moral right to be offended if vacant position passed by: "He knows that I / my brother / son / godfather / matchmaker is now unemployed, but he attached another to himself. How can you do this?"
Nepotism, like poison, has infiltrated the minds of our children. The child of an official knows that he will not be held liable under the law, because the pope has acquaintances in the police or the prosecutor's office. They will tell you, because the father cannot allow his son to sit. It gives you the right to do what you want and how you want. It is from nepotism that a new generation is being born that never existed before. These are the "majors" - spoiled offspring, with whom no one and nothing can cope, even the parents themselves.
Nepotism looks especially ugly in the most beautiful spheres: in culture and art. When the children and grandchildren of truly great actors and directors act in modern films, it becomes especially sad. Not because they have no talent, but because with their names they deprive the creative sphere of competition. Because because of them, new, brilliant actors and directors do not have a chance to achieve something worthwhile, to play a major role.
How to eradicate nepotism from our lives
Why do we do things that harm ourselves? Why do we breed nepotism? Why, when it comes to our own children, do we not notice that nepotism has become a scourge?
The answer is simple - because we do not see the reasons, we do not understand the peculiarities of the mentality, we do not understand ourselves, our children, our country. We are all used to nepotism and do not even see that there may be alternatives.
The absence of nepotism in the West does not mean that the Western world is better than ours. This is a different mentality and it is arranged correctly in its own way, but we are different and such a world does not suit us. In order to eradicate your problems, you cannot look back or try on some kind of model. Nepotism is the reverse, bad side of our mentality, which, by the way, can be simply solved - just by realizing all the stupidity of nepotism as such. Seeing that we live among other people. By appreciating the talent of others who contribute something to the whole. Understanding the importance of development, which gives what you have achieved with your efforts.
Surprisingly, by nepotism, we are doing a disservice to those who end up getting a coveted position. Yes, yes, to the people closest and dearest to us: our children, friends, relatives, whom we attach to a "warm place". Just think about it.