Cronyism and nepotism, digital partisanship (appointments by decree by the political party apparatus once they access government) or the nineteenth-century "vuelva usted mañana", which made journalist Mariano José de Larra famous, along with the scourges of corruption and opacity, are commonplaces entrenched in the Spanish and Catalan administrations and in popular culture. How is it possible that, after fifty years of democracy, we still have not managed to have an efficient and meritocratic administration, at the service of citizens and not of the political whims of rulers?

Democracy comes from demos (people) and kratia (power, authority). Aristocracy comes from aristos (the best): the power of the best. But by becoming hereditary power, the best ceased to be so. The best thing is to combine democracy with meritocracy, a government of the people in which positions are held by those who have the most merit, those who deserve it.

Shortly before his death, Isak Andic had begun to outline what he wanted to be his final great work: a foundation intended to channel part of his fortune towards social causes. The founder of Mango was already discreetly collaborating with institutions like Sant Joan de Déu, but he wanted to turn that commitment into a legacy. The project never materialized. And this week, the judicial investigation into the businessman's death has made that unfinished philanthropic project a central piece of the case.has turned that unfinished philanthropic project into a central piece of the case..

Spain has 246,000 super-net-worth individuals, defined as those with at least $30 million in convertible assets. This represents 0.51% of the country's population. Three-quarters of these individuals owe their fortune to the efforts, vision, or luck of an ancestor, who accumulated their wealth.

I'm returning to a topic I discussed four years ago (10/23/21). I'll start with an example. In a, let's say, imaginary country, a school teacher's career consists of two stages. The first is university education, which is generally undemanding but sufficient for entry into the education system without an additional selection process. The second, once the teacher has entered the system, is a career progression that, in practice, is simply based on seniority. It shouldn't surprise us that under these conditions, this country's system doesn't attract enough good teaching vocations. They aren't encouraged. The social cost is high.