Chapter 5: Recruitment and Apprenticeship, the grooming process In nonpartisan politics, what are the formal and informal

processes which recruit and presumably legitimate the officeholders? The apprentice system reduces the burden time for government; the selection of leaders is related to the skills and talent of the government, usually called quality of leadership; Politicians like to think of themselves as self-starters: no one helped me, it was just me; the choosing of the candidates for office raises the issue of tension between leaders already established & challengers hoping to win political positions; To sponsor the career of a talented and ambitious recruit may be signing its own discharge papers; From Aristotle to Easton: recruitment as representation; Easton the process of competing for positions of authority in itself trains the leadership in many of the competences required by the system Selective sponsorship: the senior politician should sponsor careers in a selective fashion; democratic political recruitment: equal chance for all citizens to hold public office; Does leadership selection systematically exclude any segments of society? The future leaders receive different political training from the citizen-at-large Leadership socialization operates independently of efforts by any groups with an interest in manipulating this stage for purposes of sponsoring suitable leaders The potential tension between the recruiter and the recruit can be managed not by choosing low quality figures but rather like-minded people. Communities might have routines & procedures for keeping extras out of the office Conclusion: public leaders should be chosen on basis of contest rather than sponsorship