En busca del mérito: la discusión académica en torno a los empleados públicos en Chile, 1884-1920 = In search for the merit: the academic discussion about the public employees in Chile, 1884-1920

De 1884 a 1920, a acusa o de patronagem política para os funcionários públicos constituiu tema central na discuss o política, no Chile. O mundo acadêmico também se dedicou ao assunto, e tentou apresentar solu es para este mal. Este artigo se prop e a estudar as tentativas acadêmicas para dar uma resposta às perguntas sobre que tipo de funcionários deveria entrar na administra o pública, como deveriam ser seleccionados e como fariam carreira, no seu trabalho. Since 1884, and until to 1920, the political patronage in public employee’s appointments was a main issue in Chilean political discussions. Not only politicians, but also the academia had focused in this topic, and had tried to present some solutions in order to correct the patronage evil. This paper studies a number of academic proposals in order to response questions such as: which kind of employees must have to be appointed in public administration, how select them, and how let them to develop careers in their jobs.