The General Theory of Nepotism

If we had elections for the most popular words used by people , then certainly 'Nepotism' would come out all guns blazing as the front runner for the last few months. Nepotism literally means favoritism i.e when the personal preference overpowers merit in positions of public influence.

Today I put forward a general theory based on the writings of Karl Marx , Max Weber and Andre Beteille to explain -

1. Why does nepotism exist?

2.  How does it develop and what are the various stages through which it grows?

3. How nepotism transformed the varna system into a caste system..

4. Nepotism today and the beginning of a new caste system.

Analysis

In this blog , I will initially state a theory in abstract and then take the examples of Politics , Bollywood and Professions to substantiate the theory. 

The Theory of Nepotism

The most visible form of Nepotism can be seen in public life. Also our public life is invariably linked to the economic activities that we participate in. Hence the journey of nepotism can be analysed through the life cycle of any economic sector.

Stage 1:

Whenever any new economic sector emerges it provides opportunities for numerous people. The people who initially join this sector tend to be more successful. At this stage in the sector the nepotism is almost nil so anyone can come and join the sector to be a part of it.

These early birds gradually start making money and soon become a part of the upper class in the society. e.g OTT platforms like Netflix created a new economic sector with several opportunities hence we do not witness nepotism here yet. 

Stage 2: 

As this new class of elites in the sector emerges they develop a social network among themselves i.e they start hanging out together and develop a common lifestyle.

Thus a common culture develops for these early birds in the sector. This culture may vary from sector to sector e.g in Bollywood it may be attending the parties , going to the gym or the ability to speak fluent English.

This culture then creates 'Status Groups' i.e groups which have higher position in the society because of the honour and prestige they get for being part of a culture e.g a Malaika Arora Khan may not be a successful actress but she is considered elite because she is part of the culture.

However at this stage , this culture is a consequence of joining this sector and not a necessary condition to join this sector. In other words you may not be partying or going to the gym to be able to join Bollywood at this stage.

Stage 3:

Now once the sector has established itself and gives good economic returns there are 2 ways how it can move forward -

Scenario 1:

The sector keeps growing and creates even more opportunities. As more and more vacancies are created more supply of good actors is needed to fill those vacancies. Hence in such cases as the sector is growing it can accommodate new talent and thus nepotism can be adjusted.

" With economic growth , the rigidity of our primordial identity ( Our identity based on birth) starts diluting "                

- Andre Beteille

Scenario 2: 

In this scenario the sector either starts to decline or stagnates due to emergence of competition. In such a case the increase in the number of vacancies cannot accommodate the demand for such limited vacancies. 

Hence , the traditional elites start feeling the pressure and in the inertia to maintain their elite status they start creating cultural barriers. i.e they make the system such that in theory it is open for all but in practice hurdles are created for people to enter the ' Status Group '. This is termed as 'Social Closure'.

For Example , the talent to act is no longer a determining factor to become an actor. Now you need to be a part of their culture.

 - You'll need to show that you are going to the gym everyday , you'll need to get access to those elite parties , you'll need to be fluent in English to do acting in Hindi!!.

Thus now,  the culture is not the consequence of joining the sector , it is the necessary condition to join the sector. This is the time when Nepotism actually starts to be visible.

" Stagnation in economy directs us towards our traditional roots and tradition directed society has a tendency to proliferate status groups "

           - Max Weber

Now as the economic boom phase has passed people try to hold onto their primordial identities. The erstwhile elite try to hold onto their privileged positions. Hence to keep their prestige they prefer their children or friends to have the power they had. 

Thus , nepotism thrives. 

Applications of Theory

1. Politics

Post independence the nepotism in politics was minimal as the number of vacancies outweighed the demand for those vacancies. For a country where British never really allowed any significant number of seats to Indians suddenly they had about 600 seats in Parliament and 1000s in the state assemblies.

Thus this was the stage 1.

1971: The population of India was continuously rising and hence the number of seats in Lok Sabha i.e. the sector of politics was growing.( Stage 1 )

However Parliament amended the constitution to freeze the number of seats in Parliament and the State Assemblies at the level based on 1971 census. This was done to discourage the north Indian states against population increase to increase the number of seats.

Now suddenly , the number of vacancies to become a politician became limited.( Stage 3 ).  Hence the existing political class started creating cultural barriers like -

- Marriage alliances started being made among various politicians

- The party started being treated like a family , Hence the leadership was transferred to their children.

- Internal democratic structures in parties were destroyed and the ticket distribution started based on personal preference.

Thus, the entry of new leaders into politics was blocked and the never ending rise of nepotism in politics began.

2. Bollywood

We have discussed how Bollywood created cultural barriers to the entry of new talent. The stagnation in Bollywood is caused by the rise of YouTube and other OTT platforms.

Now when people had choices for entertainment other than the traditional Bollywood , the vacancies created in Bollywood reduced.

Also it can be observed that Netflix , Prime etc. appear to be giving more chance to talent sans nepotism it is because this sector is still in stage 1.

3. Professions

Consider IAS. It has been stated in numerous reports about the shortage of IAS in the government. Yet not increasing the number of vacancies acts as a cultural barrier. Limiting the number of vacancies allows the IAS to be an elite service and it keeps its demand artificially high. Hence joining these services is a matter of prestige.

In such limited seats and humongous competition , nepotism even creeps into the services.

New Caste System

Andre Beteille explains this rise in nepotism in various professions as the beginning of a modern day caste system. 

Consider the following facts -

- Those marriages are now preferred where partners are from the same profession. e.g a doctor in most cases prefers to marry another doctor.

- The children of parents involved in elite professions tend to take up the profession of their parents. e.g the children of doctors are mostly doctors.

- the professional bodies take decisions which is followed by all the members. e.g there is a concept of departmental inquiries and trade unions.

Now if you observe our professions have turned into the new castes. We see - 

marriages among same profession ( caste ) , the children taking up occupation of parents ( caste ) and professional bodies ( caste panchayats ) taking decisions about indiscipline in the members and determining behavior of the members. Also Nepotism in professions is preventing inter-profession ( inter-caste ) shift!!!

So we may be in the middle of a new caste equation that we don't realise.

Thank you

Keep Brainstorming

Amit Chauhan!!