Has the IAS failed the Nation? { The biggest problem with the IAS is a deeply flawed system of incentives and penalties. The service still attracts some of the best talent in the country, and young recruits come in with sharp minds and full of enthusiasm to ‘change the world’. But soon, they become cogs in the wheels of complacency and acquiescence, turn lazy and cynical, and worse, lose their moral compass} Yes, and it's not all politicians' fault. The service rewards mediocrity & risk aversion I wish the answer were a resounding 'no'. Much to my regret though, that’s not the case. The public perception of the IAS today is of an elitist self-serving, status quo perpetuating set of bureaucrats who are out of touch with reality who wallow in their privileges and social status and have lost the courage of conviction to standup for what’s right. It wasn’t always like this, in the mid-1970s when I was a fresh entrant into the service, if the...