The Meritocracy MythThe Meritocracy Myth challenges the widely held American belief in meritocracy—that people get out of the system what they put into it based on individual merit. The third edition has been revised and streamlined, with fresh examples and updated statistical information throughout. Chapters eight and nine have been combined into a comprehensive chapter about discrimination as a non-merit barrier to upward mobility. The book also features a new section on “The Great Recession.” The Meritocracy Myth examines talent, attitude, work ethic, and character as elements of merit, and evaluates the effect of non-merit factors such as social status, race, heritage, and wealth on meritocracy. A compelling book on an often-overlooked topic, The Meritocracy Myth has become a classroom classic to introduce students to this provocative topic. |
Contents
1 The American Dream | 1 |
2 On Being Made of the Right Stuff | 23 |
3 The Silver Spoon | 49 |
4 Its Not What You Know But | 77 |
5 Making the Grade | 101 |
6 Being in the Right Place at the Right Time | 125 |
7 I Did It My Way | 153 |
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Common terms and phrases
ability advantages affirmative action African American American Dream assets associated attainment attitudes average Barack Obama Bell Curve candidates cohort corporations credentials cultural capital decline disabilities earn economic effects elite employers employment endogamy equal especially forms of discrimination groups hiring income increased individual merit industrial inequality inheritance instance investments labor force less lookism ment meritocracy minorities National nepotism networks nonmerit factors Obama occupational one’s opportunity parents percent person Pew Research Center political poor potential poverty privileged produce programs progressive taxation race racial rates recent reduced rich right stuff sector segregation self-employed workers self-employment skills social and cultural social capital social class social mobility society socioeconomic sociologist Sociology status success talent tend tion U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Department U.S. Government Printing unequal United University Press upper class wage wealth women York