Nepotism, beyond good or bad. Exploring recruitment policies in international aid organizations in Kyrgyzstan.

Abstract

While nepotism has been a pervasive social phenomenon in every culture, prevailing in family businesses - the topic has majorly been a taboo for academic research. It has been labeled as a discriminative practice in modern bureaucratic organizations. The development and international aid worldwide represent a large framework of bureaucracies and planning. Local cultures often represent a challenge if not an obstacle to the development practices and need a flexible approach. Kyrgyz society has been historically organized around the concepts of clan and clan networking or social loyalty circles manifesting in various ways, including nepotism naturally. This powerful form of social organization survived through the years of the Soviet ideological and bureaucratic domination, which unknowingly strengthened it on many levels. The country's independence brought many international donors to the scene, heavily involved in the public financing sector.

This research was aimed at exploring the recruitment policies of international aid organizations in Kyrgyzstan to establish their awareness about nepotism as a challenge in the work practices. Recruitment staff was interviewed in the sampled organizations, representing various types of donor aid.

The study relies on the cross-disciplinary areas including anthropology, organizational studies, history and development studies to continue on the recent research series on the situated development around the world. The Weberian bureaucracy as an organizing principle in many modern organizations is considered as a culturally charged model based on the individualistic and rational set of values. The discussion stresses the importance of acknowledging the cultural differences in organizational practices, especially in the international development.