Elite Underutilization

What the Fall of the Qing Empire Says

Ray Doraisamy
May 23, 2025

When I first heard the term, “Elite Overproduction”, I thought, ”oh, we’re making too many elites”.

We see top heavy organizations, too many people in universities.

But there’s a hidden counter-weight.

The number of jinshi holders under the Qing (26,888) was not much higher than what was awarded during the Ming dynasty (24,624), despite the fact that the Qing population was four times that during the Ming.

Structural Demographic Analysis of the Qing Dynasty Collapse in China

We don’t have enough leaders.

We’re making more people who are supposed to lead, with fewer than ever before (as a proportion of the population) who are actually leading.