Dear Ljubomir

Brazil has three laws against nepotism in government agencies and these laws should be followed by all public bodies and in practice prohibits the hiring of relatives of officers and employees for positions of trust , commission and bonus function in public service .

These laws also prohibit cross- nepotism , which occurs when two government agents employ relatives of each other as exchange of favor.

 One of the main cases of nepotism in Brazil is on the staff of a governor of a state in Brazil's northeastern . There are 23 relatives and contraparentes in public office - including two brothers , four nephews , three cousins ​​and a son . Appointed private secretary of the governor , the governor's wife hired for government staff two brothers , six nephews and two cousins ​​. And finally, the cousin of the governor and chief of staff , hired at least two nephews .

Nepotism , exists in Brazilian universities , but in a small number

I am afraid your is one of many! It sounds familiar and widespread here as well! It becomes like part of the culture!!!

The issue of nepotism and strong political influences exist in academic hiring in India. One such recently reported allegation can be found at

http://m.ibnlive.com/news/congress-alleges-nepotism-in-makhanlal-university-appointments/452374-3.html

Dear Ljubomir, I am very disappointed with this! May be we shall not live enough to see a kind of Balkans, free of such characteristics! However we should keep up struggle against all these unacceptable things!

I am afraid your Example is one of many! It sounds familiar and widespread here as well! It becomes like part of the culture!!!

Nepotism not only in academic places you watch almost in all fields. It is also one kind of corruption. Is it not? Rather considering intelligent people giving posts to their own people or people of the same caste in higher cadre or known people or who bribed them with lot of money.

After started interacting in RG and seeing the questions I realized human beings are after all human beings let them be any where or any country no excecuse behaves like typical human being in all aspects. Previously used to think may be in my country because of lot of population I may come across this kind of activities once in while. Now realized every where it is same.

some one might have posted the link earlier when discussing about corruption

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism

@Jetty, I do agree, it is not just a corruption,but family chain of corruption at Academia!

@Amritlal, thanks for nice example, actually the very serious one! Politics and corruption synergy!

At the university where I work, hiring occurs only through public contest and there is no conditions of nepotism. But this problem happens in other areas. I believe the way to solve this problem is to stimulate the maturation of citizenship between people and academics.

If you can't stop corruption then how can you even imagine to stop this nepotism!!!

It is definitely not ethical because by doing so we are doing injustice to talented people who deserve that position.

Nepotism is less possible in government organisation where entry is based on merit but then also sometimes during interviews it is possible.

It is more likely to be seen in private sector where government has less role to play.

Regards,

Nitish

Dear Ljubomir,

It is a very unfortunate situation whereby instead of meritorious and really deserving students are appointed on the basis of relation or kinship in my country. In my university apart from relative only those students used to get inducted who were either students (research students) of the permanent head or influential professors. In other countries relatively developed, this tend means shrinking opportunities of remunerative jobs. The fate of my university due to inbreeding is that once a renowned university is counted as the third rate in spite of a sprawling campus, well-equipped labs, rich in departmental libraries, low cost etc..

Oh, yes!

It is an epidemics in Greece:

*Medicine department at Athens University is full of sons and daughters of the professors and this goes on to many-many years from now...

*The department of Theology was a 'one family department'!

I don't argue that all of them were not suitable for the position they have, I am just telling that (cheers to Orwell!) some of them were 'more equal' than others...

Everyone says only meritorious and deserving candidates should be hired. Nepotism must be discouraged. Yes, I do agree with you.

BUT

Should a candidate be rejected if he/she is a relative of professor despite being meritorious. I know you all will say NO.

Now the 'MERIT' is the actual 'GAME'.

Lets assume I am a professor having a 10 year child. I want my child to be hired by my university in my department as professor. I will follow these steps-

1. I will make my child to opt my subject (irrelevant of his interest) at higher secondary, Undergraduate and then Post graduate level. As I am a professor of the subject, there will not be any difficulty for him to pass with good grades.

2. I will arrange him to get admitted as a research scholar in my lab, and this is like a cup of tea. There are several test, he will have to clear to reach here but, being a professor it is like a cup of tea for me, as I already know what paper is going to be set in these tests.

3. I have many research scholars along with my child. Now, any paper that is being published by these scholar, will essentially contain my child's name.

4. Now, my child is the top scholar in the lab with most number of research papers under his name. There are also some really good quality papers (I myself have prepared them) and thesis is submitted in minimum time, and Doctorate awarded without any hurdle.

5. University notifies vacancies, and my child's application tops the shortlist. (Every aspect of the API score is taken care of by myself to ensure highest points in the merit list).

6. My child got selected through due procedure. No one can question the selection as every step of the selection procedure was followed as per rule.

P.S.- Overhauling of the system is the need of the moment.

@Darasingh Shyoran: You are right! This a procedure we have seen. Thus the solution of the problem, is Professors to have true attitude towards these matters. In fact the whole problem is a problem of "culture" of any country!

@Darasingh, you told all!

Just to make things worse, for Greece:

*Keep in mind that a university professor in Greece is a life-time one: once he/she elected he/she will finish him/her job from that academic chair, despite of the level of his/her net added value to science from then to the retirement.

So, actually university professors are exactly like a Pope or a Patriarch, once and then for ever!

That's the reason why professor' s children 'are forced' to be also a professor : lifetime guarantee of their income!

Isn't it wonderful? (for them, not for us or for our country...)

My dear Greeks, it seems that You have a situation there worse than in Serbia. Professors here are being elected every five years! I was wrong when I thought that situation in higher education in Greece is better since there are only state Universities, as @Demetris mentioned earlier under some other thread!

@Darasingh, many thanks for valuable answer!

Dear Ljubomir, one of the main benefits from participating here in RG is that everyone can stop living with myths! You are welcome! If you ask about EU then many other Serbian myths could be crashed down... but let's keep on nepotism of universities.

Another issue of the life-time professors in Greece is the relation of a PhD student with his/her mentor: Since the Professor is something like an 'ultimate power representative' in our small country, then the student has to be blind in what the professor asks him/her to do! "Search and don't ask!" (Isn' it similar to the Middle Ages : "believe and do not inquire"?)

@Haralampos, at least you have income after you have gone abroad, me not...

You see dear Haralambos, that I have not finished the haef.gr, but a rather humility Lyceum, so I cannot be helped from the strong brotherhood of the graduates that governs Greece with such an enormous success indeed! (I think everybody agrees with that, OK? what crisis, everything is fine... I am joking of course). Probably the same situation holds for you, otherwise you could be at least a first degree professor in a university...

Situation becomes even grimmer when some low profile university consider hiring season as earning season.

In India, in spite of large democracy, caste system of employment is very strong! But, not only in India!!!

http://www.brainbuxa.com/blog/Reservation-of-Cast-in-Indian-Education-System-Promoting-the-rights-for-everyone

Dear Demetris,

What you have written on the university relationships in Greece must be a serfdom or a total rule of authority. Hungarian higher education has been destroyed during socialism and after it by the free robbery age but the Greek circumstances - as you characterised them - are terrible. So I can somehow understand the behaviour of a Greek professor who offered me some years ago to work together on a project. When he had learned how little the Hungarian – financial - support was he simply break off the correspondence.

@Ljubomir, yes India is world's biggest democracy, our Constitution provides reservation for SC/ST i.e. schedule castes and schedule tribes to uplift them in all fields and BCs (backward classes) too, in spite of secular policy. There is some limit.

No idea on what occasion the play card is displayed. Political leaders especially those who want to gain power make promises beyond the range of constitution limit and create troubles.

Dear @Jetty, is there any chance for caste employment to overcome in India?

Hi! Ljubomir ,

India though it is country we can say a subcontinent having unity in diversity. Literally speaking I believe we do not have any problem except some sporadic events. If ruling party at center is capable that is fine nothing to worry. Being Indian I am really humiliated to comment this. Past 10 years Congress party has become puppet in somebody's hand that deteriorated in all aspects. They witnessed practically these elections and ousted not even fit to sit in the parliament as opposition party, you can imagine by seeing the result how nastily they ruled. I am very happy to see the election results and sure the country goes ahead in all aspects no doubt.

We have enough resources cum man power but capable administration is needed to put them in to action. Now at Center and State capable parties are elected. I believe they create everything needed then we do not have any problem for employment. Absolutely no problem of caste system at all. Along with the population growth rate Govt. should take necessary steps to create/utilize the sources we had then automatically corridors will be developed in all fields then no question of caste or something else probably we may need more man power to handle/balance them. So I repeat it is not the problem of existing different castes lack of knowledge and administration creates problem(s). I have strong hope that India lead ahead.

Dear @Jetty, thank You very much for your valuable contribution. I do think also that India lead ahead! The great country, big democratic country!

Unfair practices must be eleminated in all organizations; there should be equal opportunities in employment.

I do agree with that  the university is the exact mirror of the society and in many cases the mirror is even broken.

Dear Ljubomir,

I thought this kind of viruses is limited to some countries but it seems that it is spreading all over the world. It is surly unethical. This misbehaviour should be eradicated.

Well said dear Abedallah, this mirror is even broken...

Dear Prof. Jacic: Thanks for your great description of our country, and rightly so. But I feel the problems of caste employment  and nepotism do exist in our country also, as elsewhere in the world. In fact, favoritism exists in all human societies. Those benefitted would appreciate it, while the disadvantaged would curse it. But the universities and the academicians must try to remain immune to these vices. Meritocracy must prevail in the universities and ideally everywhere in human society.

Long Live The Meritocracy!

I agree with Kadri, it is a reflection of society in general which is also a reflection of human nature.  Enforcing the rules may not help, we have to evolve out of that.  On other hand, there might be nothing wrong teaching and passing their trade to their younger generation.  Farmers and craftsmen been doing that all the time.  So it depends how we do it and how we look at it.

I think the issues of favor, corruption, and nepotism are the universal problems of today's world as it spreads across the geographical boundaries. There should be some mechanisms for minimizing the human interventions in decision taking of academic recruitment and promotions etc.

Pl see related discussions at the following thread:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_there_a_need_of_devising_a_system_to_minimize_human_interventions_in_academic_recruitment_and_promotions

Universities should come up as equal opportunities for employment regardless of race, color, sex or national origin. 

Dear Ljubomir, nepotism is a real plague in Italy and especially in the south and in my university. Until a few years ago the teachers could enter their relatives within the university quietly on the basis of their power. To get an idea of this, just move through the list of professors and technicians with similar surnames of my university. It is outrageous. Only in recent years, five years ago, by law some ethical rules have been imposed that prevent wives, children, grandchildren, to the fourth degree, and even life partners have privileges in this regard. Thus, for example, in my university the wife of a big university baron would like to become a professor, but she can not, fortunately for us, given the family relationship, unless she moves to another department. It seems that the rector at the University of Bari has sent a circular where it is suggested, in similar cases, to move to another department as a measure of default. Does it seem possible?

I have got an answer by message from @Dr. Khalid Salim Al-Jardani :"This seems to be normal in different contexts. However, there is a need to discuss and highlight it in different situations which might develop an awareness of this issue and what have it affected the standards of tasks expected."

Dear All,

Unfortunately, Abderrahmane brief comment has got a universal validity.

In imperfect societies it is impossible to find just rules.

The trouble is that the outsider majority (who do not belong to the preferred circles) can see only the top of the iceberg. The here presented observations are but nothing to the real situations.

However, I am sure, the honest and straightforward ambitions and attitudes are going to survive!

Hi Ljubomir,

I can say that the answer to your question is very relative! It very much depends on the university which you are referring to; in addition to educational and bureaucratic systems.

Unfortunately, I should acknowledge that many universities take interest in employing those with better connections!

Worse than that, sometimes - regardless of that specific institute's location - candidate's/employee's sociological, political, and religious point of view as well as their race, ethnic and nationality might be subject to discrimination and prejudice.

Such actions of humans show how little humans moved from the past as we live far from it. 

What surprises me most is how people can be different, heartless and unknown when you are made an outsider but living around them with higher training, better records and they search someone of their type to fill a position, completely ignoring your existence, education and performances - indication of how far we are apart although we think we live very close.

A higher learning place always responds with a negative answer by saying they do not hire any new person but use their own existing faculty members for adjunct teachings and other posts, but each time you see their website, they have different new people added to their faculty lists. I wonder whether I live in the same world where these people live and how different we are in looking at things and valuing truth and reason.    

Caste employment at Universities in spite of the law, is the rule of some archaic countries

In India, reservation is available for socially deprived class of people. In universities, for all teaching posts, the eligibility criteria shall be in accordance with the latest University Grants Commission guidelines. specific reserved community quota is applicable for candidates of that particular community will be considered. A relaxation of some percentage may be provided in the marks at the master’s level for the SC/ST/OBC category for all posts in appointments as Assistant Professor. Caste certificate from competent authority for SC/ST/OBC candidates in the prescribed format have to be produced.

Dear @Krishnan, please explain in details your words:"A relaxation of some percentage may be provided in the marks at the master’s level for the SC/ST/OBC category for all posts in appointments as Assistant Professor. Caste certificate from competent authority for SC/ST/OBC candidates in the prescribed format have to be produced." Thanks, I find it will be helpful for the followers.

Dear all, and dear Ljubomir,

I have some very contradictory feelings, regarding this important and interesting issue.

My Mother is a very active academic scholar, in the field of Humanities and Culture. I admire her work and career, and I have surely been much influenced by her experiences and knowledge. and had I followed strudies in her field, I am sure that this educational moulding would have been helpful to build my own career.

I followed an academic carrer on a totally different field: I am an anatomist and my parents disaprooved the fact that I followed a medical carrer, probably, because they knew that it would be difficult to cope with so much work and never enough pay or rest.

It is a natural, understandable human characteristic to wish for our children to have the best possible life.

Nevertheless, it is of course, absolutely disaprovable and nepotist to create academic jobs for the family, as in any other society field.

One of the main Banks and financial groups in Portugal has just gone bankrupt, creating enormous political and financial turmoils in my country. On the analysis of this financial break, we have just discovered that 250 of the main direction jobs of this bank were performed by family members.

Even if a Bank is not an Academy, «anything that can go wrong ... will go wrong», and this applies to the Academy.

I  am very proud to belong to a family of academics. But I am also very happy to work in a different field of Knowledge. 

Hope these few personal notes were useful to this interesting debate.

Kind regards,

Maria

For all teaching posts, the eligibility criteria shall be in accordance with the latest UGC guidelines, under the section "Important Notes & Instructions", point 8 and 10 (document attached)

Point 8. Against specific reserved community quota, only candidates of that particular community will be considered. A relaxation of 5% may be provided from 55% to 50% of the marks at the master’s level for the SC/ST category for all posts in appointments as Assistant Professor. Please note - (a) Caste certificate from competent authority for SC, & ST candidates in the prescribed format have to be produced. (b) If the candidates wish to be considered against a specific community quota and tick the community column accordingly, their application will be rejected unless proof of community in the prescribed format is enclosed.

(c) Any subsequent representation for change of community status will not be entertained under any circumstances.

Point 10. Applicants for the reserved post of OBC are required to submit a certificate regarding his / her “OBC Status and belongingness to NON -CREAMY LAYER” from the appropriate authority. 

http://www.aus.ac.in/emp-notice/Eligibility-cirteria-against-Employment-Notification.pdf

Thanks @Krishnan for the explanation, as well as for the document!

Dear @Maria, yes, You are  very proud to belong to a family of academics. But You are also very happy to work in a different field of Knowledge! I am so happy since I do share the same experience!

In Serbia, it so common that there are generations of doctors of medicine and it is practice at Medical Faculties! I have escaped to an engineering!

Dear Ljubomir,

From South Asian, particularly Indian perspective, the term caste actually means something other than the meaning in which you have used it in your question. Nepotism perhaps would suffice. Can there be any society that can truly claim to be free of nepotism? I do not think so.

Speaking about India, though such favors to family or friends are not generally seen, owing to greater public scrutiny, insistence on transparency and even recourse to legal instruments like Right to Information Act or Public Interest Litigation, it cannot be said to be entirely absent - I mean favoritism.

Caste in the Indian sense is bestowed by birth on individuals. Even the most progressive Indian would generally be seen suffixing his caste to his name or somehow have it tailored to his profile. In certain cases, such a tag officially bestows privileges on him/her since the government of India have declared certain castes as having been historically marginalized by other castes. In order to assist such marginalized castes, the Constitution provides for reservations in educational institutions, government jobs, scholarships, financial assistance, and even the protection of law against discrimination. So, in Indian context, caste has a different meaning altogether.

Dear Ljubomir,

Thank you for asking this important question. Caste employment it could happen in the university or other scientific centers if there is no integrity in employment issues anywhere.

My opinion is the favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism are as old as humanity. Nepotism is a controversial subject. It is not necessary always so bad.

Darasingh Shyoran scored masterfully. TRUTH.

I am sure that there are many illegal employments at universities of 3rd world countries. When the president of a university is not appointed by virtue of merits, it is natural that s/he will use his/her authorities to appoint close relatives, town fellows, affiliated persons, and all those who are ready to serve “the boss” & give him/her a sense of protection.

The days, in which appointments were made by the natural process “from departmental recommendation to faculty to top managers” have gone. When an innocent graduate applied for a job in a Middle East state, the first question was if there is a VIP middling in his appointment. When he replied that he has none except his qualification, the interviewing committee burst in loud laughter telling him to “get lost”!

Our colleague @Ramana has sent the answer by message:"This is a general problem mostly in developing nations. We do have it here big time. Got Fed up. A revolution of sort might help to contain such unethical practices.

On a personal note i believe Health and education are two places where only the best are required for the development of a nation."

One more answer by @Nada :"With extreme regret, that always exist and this retards the work rather than progress forward. So need to be addressed it."

It is not related to democracy or not. I have seen a few times that a professor's son/daughter were hired as elite university faculty with only one poorly published article. I have also seen numerous times that National Univetsity Hospital create new departments or centers specifically to the deans' son, daughter or in-laws. This happened even in civilized democratic countries. You have not yet seen medical school deans are related to each other through marriage or from the same family. A

Unfortunately the whole world is a village. Even here in Italy it happens, but not only by the Rectors. Familism is a generalized phenomenon. There is a wonderful article called "The dishonesty of the honest people".

http://people.duke.edu/~dandan/Papers/PI/Dishonest_JMR.pdf

In this scientific work, the authors demonstrate that every person tries to understand what are the margins of dishonesty tolerated in each micro cosmos and one tries not to overcome them.

Evidently in the academic environment if one has the power he thinks he can violate the boundaries of average dishonesty. The sound box of our little world is large and is greater the more the person is known. Despite the scandal, the root is not eradicated and the plant continues to grow. The laws, when they exist, are circumvented with gimmicks designed ad hoc.

Very nice contribution by Dr. Nizar... I share his point of view.

Dear @Concha, so good that you are back again! I could not find some fresh stories on nepotism in my country,but here are the stories from Turkey, Malawi, Pakistan! 

More discussion brings more courage!

http://www.todayszaman.com/national_neopatrimonialism-rather-than-merit-is-rule-in-public-recruitment_366768.html

http://www.todayszaman.com/national_deputy-pm-confirms-nepotism-in-civil-service-recruitment_366835.html

http://www.nyasatimes.com/2014/12/08/nepotism-rocks-malawi-education-council-non-northerners-targeted/

http://tribune.com.pk/story/805905/fixing-higher-education/

Dear Sayed,

Please, do not care of anonymous down-voters! Nobody does it.

A definition offered by a specialist in polling is suggestive of the approach to public-opinion research of those who are primarily interested in measurement

https://books.google.com.sa/books?isbn=9004209255

https://books.google.com.sa/books?isbn=1576072487

Here's an interesting read on a related topic, in a paper titled 'Nepotism, Incentives and the Academic Success of College Students'.

http://ftp.iza.org/dp3711.pdf

Unfortunately, we see it here, in Iran, not only in universities but also in other organization. I think it is very common in developing countries, am I right? Does this phenomenon occur in developed countries too?

Prof. Abderrahmane Kadri has rightly mentioned that the university is the exact mirror of the society. On the other hand, university are liable to produce scholarly and morally sound citizens for a better society. If the universities are infected with classicism, corruption, bureaucracy, nepotism, ....,,, how these academic organizations can be esteemed as temple of learning and architect of dignified citizens. Unfortunately, such ugly absolutely unethical behaviours are seen in universities and almost everywhere in the society.

Dear @Sara, you have an answer of @Ru-Jeng Teng on previous page, speaking about nepotism and caste employment in developed democracies/countries! 

@Sara,

nepotism in universities and public research organizations is very common in Italy too. Scandals surface nearly daily but italian society is very lax about these ethical issues.

A very good account can be found in this news article Nepotism alive and kicking in Italy (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21507168) and in the referenced paper Academic Dynasties: Decentralization and Familism in the Italian Academia (https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/17572.html).

I agree with Abderrahmane Kadri and others, it is not a question of being a developed or an underdeveloped country, rather a question of the society which is behind the academic world. When the society is corrupt or does not sense corruption as an important ethical issue, also academia will mirror the behaviour of the society in which it is immersed.

Yes Abderrahmane Kadri has excellently described this issue; lack of democracy is an open door to the mediocrity, opportunism, favoritism, nepotism, corruption ... on behalf of the leaders. If this matter could happen as well in developed countries, its percentage is very small, and the daughters or sons are not so incompetent; In developing countries, it is all the institutions of the republic who are dangerously polluted by such behavior!!!

I think most esteemed colleagues who simply say such problems are prevalent in developing countries is a little naive and not a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Actually the problem is common in every society, developing or developed as  we are living examples.  

I do agree with dear @Dejenie that the problem  caste employment at Universities is common in every society, developing or developed. 

Dear Sayed,

The good news is that this article could have been published and you dared to mention it.

However, I am not sure the following phrase in this article was really right: “In Germany and Italy it was the middle class that supported the fascists.”

@Andras:

“In Germany and Italy it was the middle class that supported the fascists.”

I would say it is quite right. Above all if you read the next sentence:

"When there are times of insecurity, they [i.e., the middle classes] are precarious."

It is true that industrialists were behind fascism in Italy and later nazism in Germany, but middle classes were attracted by the two movements,considered as a way to escape from the difficult economic and social situation after World War I.

Popular support to fascism was widespread in Italy, until WW II of course, and it was not just due to the dictatorial characteristics of the movement.

I am impressed that so many colleagues address their opinion on this issue and almost all of us think it is so unfair. The funny phenomenon is that those who have the feeling start to do the same thing when they finally reaching the top. I sincerely hope we all remember what we have said  today and avoid the same mistake down the road.

Dear @Ru-Jeng, I may speak on my behalf and as a man who had experienced such behaviour 35 years ago! I do not like hypocrisy! I do hope most of us act sincere and honest!

Dear Ljubomir: I am with you. In my culture similar caste employment happens a lot. Now I am in USA for almost 20 years and still see it. Trust me some worse experience I have had was really the one who complained the unfairness but did the exact same when he/she grabbbed the power. Maybe it is a human nature. Let us do our best to avoid this behavior. Best wishes.  

No, In India, it happens with LAW in most of organisations according to Category ( e.g. General. Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class {OBC} ). But there are almost NIL institutes who do against the law. Most private institutes are widely open and quite general and they don't support the caste emploment. 

After independence, the Constitution of India banned discrimination based on the caste hierarchy. However, the caste consciousness is still deep-rooted in Indian society. The problem tends to emerge during the turning points of one's life such as marriage and employment. In a bid to support the lower castes, the Indian government has adopted a reservation quota policy in government aided education recruitmentss in public sector. 

The caste employment is a part of our system everywhere without any exception, though, the extent vary from point to point. Favor, groupism, corruption, and nepotism in recruitment/promotion are the various types of a caste employment.  Regarding the law, I am very much sure that no country has such a law which supports these malpractices in recruitment and promotions. 

Dear @Yogesh, India has great people and they deserve to live with good life with dignity  and prosperity. I am personally do not believe in adopting a reservation quota policy in government aided education recruitment in public sector. Quota does not solve the roots of the problem; it only solve the problem of few people while all the others are still suffering from the same problem.

Our culture has been built over thousands of years and is deeply rooted into our life. A cultural norm is very difficult to change even with law in place. Sometimes we try to do the right thing but still influenced by people surrounding us. If the highest authority in the government adopted the caste employment do you expect the law (or constitution) can really change what people behave? My culture believes the law is for people who follow it not for those who intend to violate it. Let us abide by what we all think is right to influence our colleague. Also, if you treat people from different ethnicity in a different way from your own ethnicity, to me it is discrimination too, then stop complaining the caste employment.

A good question posed by @Ljubomir and valuable comments by several contributors. The problem of nepotism is perhaps more deeply rooted and broadly spread than many of us think. We in Pakistan also face this problem however its dimensions may be different from some other societies. As pointed out by others the construct of this problem connects directly with the construct of a society but it also depends on economics. Lack of opportunities or more importantly the wide variation between the benefits provided by different opportunities provides too much of motivation to socially, politically or economically influential groups to use unfair and even illegitimate means of collaboration, maneuvering or manipulation to grab the desired opportunities. Teaching positions at universities are also subjected to illicit collaborations but strict and high level of academic requirements filter out a lot of such influence while some other positions where meeting basic qualifications is easier are more prone to manipulation.

Dear @Markovic, is nepotism in Serbia and Montenegro is genes dependent, culture dependent or it is just a tradition which is hard to eliminate by democratic improvement?

It appears from the number of comments that nepotism exists almost everywhere in the world society. Now one can possibly have any pride in oneself knowing that he/she achieved his/her position because of favouratism? How can one live with guilt and sleep peacefully after achieving certain position for which some other is more deserving?

In the Middle East, nepotism is the rule rather than the exception & it is adopted from the top moving down. The ruler of a country will employ all his relatives & the boss of an academic institution will follow the example set by the ruler. It is nearly rare to see a boss's relative who is jobless while the percentage of unemployment in the very same country is high. At  some universities, there is even no advertisement for certain administrative posts in a university because such posts are reserved for specific persons who belong to a certain city (i.e. racism in its ugliest manifest form).

Famous philosopher-economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen decided that he would not seek a second term as chancellor of the new Nalanda University in India’s eastern state of Bihar even though the university’s governing body had already approved a second term for him...

His successor is George Yeo, a former foreign minister of Singapore and the recipient of India’s prestigious award, the Padma Bhushan, in 2012....

Good universities, especially new institutions that seek to establish themselves beyond the national level, require highly-qualified faculty who in turn attract motivated students. It is the quality of faculty and students that, in addition to capable administration, separate great universities from the ordinary.

Yeo’s challenge will be to lure faculty to Nalanda University and Bihar and to stay in Rajgir, a small settlement where there are few suitable employment opportunities for spouses, unless they are academics themselves and are hired by Nalanda University, and few good schools for their children....

Meanwhile, the state has regressed to its old ways, and the breakdown of law and order in particular has re-emerged as a serious problem. In late June, the principal of a local school in Nalanda district was beaten to death by a mob after the bodies of two students were recovered from a ditch. While such dramatic incidents are an aberration in a state which is also infamous for caste violence and low levels of human development, such bad publicity has the potential to deter job seekers.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2015071721481118

http://www.asianscientist.com/2013/02/features/will-nalanda-university-be-a-success-2013/