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This paper proposes to reassess the idea of meritocracy as central element in professional bureaucracy oriented towards citizens' needs. However, the proposal found many problems in Latin America related to the changes within public administrations, the dissimilar actors implicated and the different sectorial interests involved, etc. This is due to the fact that Latin America has not been able to follow a step-by-step process of public administration transformation from "Particracy", to rigid meritocracies, and flexible meritocracies. Latin-American institutional life is not tidy; the picture that best describe their most weak bureaucracies is nor rigid bureaucracy neither flexible one but the coexistence of the weakest elements of both worlds: clientelistic arbitrariness and rigidness. The paper explores possible solutions exemplified with reform experiences of civil service in Latin America during the last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]