The first European power to implement a successful meritocratic civil service was the British Empire, in their administration of India: "company managers hired and promoted employees based on competitive examinations in order to prevent corruption and favoritism."
Den første europæiske stormagt som succesfuldt implementerede meritokratiske embedseksamener var det britiske Imperium i deres administration over Indien: "virksomhedsledere hyrede og fyrede medarbejdere på baggrund af konkurrencedygtige eksaminationer, for at forbygge korruption og favorisering."