Editing Merit system (section)

{{Short description|Hiring civil service employees based on ability}}
The '''merit system''' is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections.<ref name=meritmonitor>{{cite book|title=Monitoring Merit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5x4QKui_-cUC&pg=PP15|publisher=Institute of Public Administration of Canada|isbn=978-1-55061-049-9|page=15}}</ref> It is the opposite of the [[spoils system]].