• What is nepotism?
• Examples of nepotism

We explain what nepotism is, its history and why it violates human rights. Also, various examples.

Napoleon exercised nepotism by designating his brothers as kings of various nations.

What is nepotism?

Nepotism is a form of corruption or fraudulent practice, which consists of assigning resources from a work environment to family and friends, without taking into account their suitability for performance or preparation for a position, but rather their emotional closeness and their loyalties personal.

It is a vice punishable by law in most democratic countries, especially in the Public administration, given that there are specific codes that regulate access to work with the Condition. Nepotism even violates the Universal Declaration of Human rights, among whose articles the necessary equal opportunities of access to public work, since it is financed with everyone's money.

The word nepotism comes from the Latin word nepotes, translatable as "nephews" or "grandchildren." It became popular during the late Middle Ages European and early Renaissance, since there was a tendency to assign the high ecclesiastical offices of the Catholic Church to the relatives or descendants of the noble families, since these were influential in the Roman Cardinal Curia or in the decisions of the Pope himself.

Already at that time this practice was denounced and fought by Christian groups, especially those affected by Protestantism, who saw the Catholic papacy as a corrupt institution. Finally, their pressure was so great that since the seventeenth century it has been a prohibited practice and is also monitored in the politics and the Public Administration.

Examples of nepotism

Here are some historical examples of nepotism:

• The Athens of Pisistratus. This Greek tyrant, who ruled Athens during the 6th century BC. C., assigned the public offices of the State to their relatives and friends to guarantee power. After his death in 527 a. C., left his two sons, Hipias and Hiparco, who would later be overthrown to establish the democracy Athenian.
• The "nipote cardinals" of the Middle Ages. Cardinals from influential families in Middle Ages Europe were nicknamed "nipotes" who rose in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church thanks to their patronage and not because of their theological merits. In fact, Pope Alexander IV was, at the time, a Nipote cardinal of the Borja family, favored by Pope Calixto III, his “uncle”. Many of these "nephews" were actually illegitimate children born to the ecclesiastical authorities.
• The delegates of the Napoleonic Empire of France. In the 19th century, when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of Europe, he distributed royal offices among his own relatives, to ensure the loyalty of the subject kingdoms. For example, his brother José Bonaparte was named King of Spain.