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. Fully revised and updated throughout, the second edition includes compelling new case studies, such as the impact of social and cultural capital in the cases of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and new material on current topics such as the impact of the financial and credit crisis, intergenerational mobility, and the impact of racism and sexism. 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 first edition was highly regarded and proved a useful examination of this classic American ideal. |
Contents
Origins and Prospects | 1 |
The Case for Merit | 25 |
Inheritanceand the Staggered Start | 55 |
Social and Cultural Capital | 79 |
Education and Mobility | 107 |
The Luck Factor | 137 |
The Decline of Selfemploymentand the Ascent of Corporations | 165 |
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Common terms and phrases
ability achievement action advantages ahead American Dream associated attainment become blacks Books chances changes continue corporations create cultural capital decline discrimination economic economic inequality effects employment equal especially evidence example factors forms greater groups higher hiring housing important income increased individual industrial inequality inheritance instance institutions investments labor force least less levels living means measure merit meritocracy minorities mobility occupational Office opportunity parents percent policies political poor population position Press privileged produce programs proportion race racial rates recent reduced refers remain require result self-employed short skills social social capital society status structure studies success Table tend tion United University upper wage wealth women workers York