Return to meritocracy

There is a glaring contradiction in the way the country's political forces treat public administration: On the one hand, they denounce the appointment of inactive party officials to positions in the public administration. On the other, they seek to "criminalize" any remuneration to officials in the broader public sector deemed to be above average.

It would be worth rethinking what really serves the public interest: To have "cheap" positions of responsibility that are only attractive to political hacks? Or to provide transparent incentives along free market lines so the state can enlist professional and experienced executives?

No one wants a return to the days when state sector jobs were handed out to political buddies. But we must recognize that the punitive post-crisis culture came to reward mediocrity.