Wasta or wāsita () is an Arabic word that loosely translates into nepotism, ' clout' or 'who you know'. It refers to using one's connections and/or influence to get things done, including government transactions such as the quick renewal of a

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

or a passport or

driving license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public r ...

, waiving of traffic fines, and getting hired for or promoted in a job which usually would take a month. In other words, it amounts to getting something through favoritism rather than merit, or what is informally spoken of in English as "pull" from connections (the opposite of "push"). The English word

cronyism Cronyism is the spoils system practice of Impartiality, partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. For example, cronyism occurs ...

overlaps in meaning but is not precisely the same. Roughly equivalent words in other languages include

sociolismo ''Sociolismo'' ("partner-ism"), also known as ''amiguismo'' ("friend-ism"), is the informal term used in Cuba to describe the reciprocal exchange of favors by individuals, usually relating to circumventing bureaucratic restrictions or obtaining har ...

in Cuba; blat in Russia;

guanxi ''Guanxi'' () is a term used in Chinese culture to describe an individual's social network of mutually beneficial personal and business relationships. The character ''guan'', 关, means “closed” while the character ''xi'' 系 means “system ...

in Chinese and ''Vetternwirtschaft'' in German, ''protektzia'' in Israeli slang, in Chilean Spanish. In Brazilian-Portuguese it is referred to as "pistolão", "QI" (''Quem Indica'', or Who Indicates), or in the slang "peixada", "Pidi Padu" in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

language spoken region of India, "arka" or "destek" or "torpil" in Turkish, "plecy" in Polish, "štela" in Bosnian, "Piston" in French.

Etymology

Wasta is derived from the Modern Standard

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word () which can mean ''medium, means'' but also ''personal connection used to gain something''.

Hans Wehr Hans Bodo Gerhardt Wehr (; 5 July 1909, Leipzig24 May 1981, Münster) was a German Arabist. A professor at the University of Münster from 1957–1974, he published the ''Arabisches Wörterbuch'' (1952), which was later published in an Engl ...

(1979), '' Arabic-English Dictionary''. Furthermore, companies in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

rarely have a 'no- nepotism' policy in place, so one can often find a workforce made up of friends and relatives who may or may not be qualified. This takes place in both the public and private sectors. In many Arab countries, such as

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, Syria, and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

wasta affects hiring and promotion decisions. This is not restricted to Arab nationals but is also practised by expatriates who use their connections as wastas. With respect to recruitment, there seems to be a movement away from this wasta, especially in the case of multinationals and professional firms. However, wasta is still widely used in the region.

Notes

Bibliography

* ''Regulation, Trust, and Cronyism in Middle Eastern Societies: The Simple Economics of 'Wasta. (2011) Andy H. Barnett,

Bruce Yandle Bruce Yandle (born August 12, 1933) is Dean Emeritus of Clemson University's College of Business and Behavioral Science and Alumni Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at Clemson. He is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics at t ...

, George Naufal, School of Business and Management-

American University of Sharjah American University of Sharjah (abbreviated AUS; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية في الشارقة) is a private university in the United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and ...

, Department of Economics-

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

, School of Business and Management- American University of Sharjah. * Hutchings, K. & Weir, D. (2006). "Guanxi and Wasta: A comparison". '' Thunderbird International Business Review'', 48(1), 141-156 * Izraeli, D. (1997). "Business Ethics in the Middle East". ''

Journal of Business Ethics The ''Journal of Business Ethics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Springer Nature B.V. The Journal of Business Ethics is one of th50 top business journals used by the Financial Times (FT)in compiling the prestigious Business Sch ...

'', 16(14), 1555–1560, {{doi, 10.1023/A:1005863031132 * Kocherlakota, N. R. (1996). ''Money is Memory''.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

, Research Department Staff Report 218, 1-37 Nepotism Arab culture Pakistani culture Pakistani social culture