The meritocracy trap
Markovits, Daniel, 1969-2019
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Even in the midst of runaway economic inequality and dangerous social division, it remains an axiom of modern life that meritocracy reigns supreme and promises to open opportunity to all. The idea that reward should follow ability and effort is so entrenched in our psyche that, even as society divides itself at almost every turn, all sides can be heard repeating meritocratic notions. Meritocracy cuts to the heart of who we think we are. But what if, both up and down the social ladder, meritocracy is a sham? Today, meritocracy has become exactly what it was conceived to resist: a mechanism for the concentration and dynastic transmission of wealth and privilege across generations. Upward mobility has become a fantasy, and the embattled middle classes are now more likely to sink into the working poor than to rise into the professional elite. At the same time, meritocracy now ensnares even those who manage to claw their way to the top, requiring rich adults to work with crushing intensity, exploiting their expensive educations in order to extract a return. All this is not the result of deviations or retreats from meritocracy but rather stems directly from meritocracy's successes. This is the radical argument that The Meritocracy Trap prosecutes with rare force, comprehensive research, and devastating persuasion. Daniel Markovits, a law professor trained in philosophy and economics, is better placed than most to puncture one of the dominant ideas of our age. Having spent his life at elite universities, he knows from the inside the corrosive system we are trapped within, as well as how we can take the first steps towards a world that might afford us both prosperity and dignity.
Main title:
The meritocracy trap / Daniel Markovits.
Author:
Imprint:
London : Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2019.
Collation:
xxiii, 438 pages : illustrations, graphs ; 24 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Pt. One Meritocracy and Its Discontents -- One. The Meritocratic Revolution -- Two. The Harms of Meritocracy -- Three. The Coming Class War -- pt. Two How Meritocracy Works -- Four. The Working Rich -- Five. The Meritocratic Inheritance -- Six. Gloomy and Glossy Jobs -- pt. Three A New Aristocracy -- Seven. A Comprehensive Divide -- Eight. Snowball Inequality -- Nine. The Myth of Merit.
ISBN:
9780241289914
Dewey class:
339.2
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
370617
More Information:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumaris Library | Adult Non Fiction - Computers and Business | 339.2 MAR | Available |