A very important stuff for every nation's power is always how they get their human resources to run the whole nation's working machine. I find out that JRRT seldom mention how political states manage their public officers, including military and civic both? There're only a few cases I knew, listed downstairs.
1.
Gondor military used almost meritocracy, at least according to all the literatures I've gotten, such as Arogron's military promotion only thru his merit when using his alias to serve the Gondor military as none knew his true blood. Of courses, rules might contracdict meritocracy sych as hereditary might exist still, yet it's due to talent given by bloodline, such as Gondor
Rangers mostly exclusively promoted from
Numenorean due to their born supeiority on military talent.
However, civic officers, at least those high ranked in chancellor level, such as the
Stewards after
Earnur's lost, were at least sometimes formed by heredity.
2.
Gondolin, even though not certainly confirmed by JRRT, it's high command lists proved that meritocracy was at least partially used, for JRRT emphasized all their ministers mentioned with their names, whether civic or military, must show that they really got skills in their posts, such as
ecthelion absent of his birth mentioned yet his merit of killing
Balrogs was the highlight always.
3. Laketown, the only state who we knew about using election to give birth to their prime minister, even though absent mentioning it's practical destals such as transparency and so on.
So...does anyone have any JRRT's mention about ME states appointment of their government officials, whether direct description or implication?