The Myths That Bind Us: Meritocracy

Here are some popular phrases we have all heard. “He went from rags to riches.” “Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” “You can make it if you try.” “We can all have the American Dream.” Think about these popular movies: Rocky, The Social Network, or The Pursuit of Happyness. We celebrate the characters in these films because the protagonist overcomes obstacles and achieves success through dint of their grit and ingenuity.

These are all illustrations of America understood as a meritocracy — privilege, status, and rewards accrue to those with the talent and work ethic to acquire them. It’s even odds, in a meritocracy, between the kid living in a trailer park and the one living in a gated community who will end up as a CEO of an investment firm. It’s a coin flip between the son of a surgeon and the son of a sanitation worker as to who will go to Stanford.

But how true is this?

Are We in a Meritocracy?

A meritocracy describes a system in which someone earns their power, social status, and privileges. We can contrast this with a hereditary aristocracy, where power, social status, and privilege are passed down through birth. I believe when people say meritocracy, they are referring to two different but related understandings.

One understanding refers to the intergenerational social mobility of people — the ability of children to do better than their parents. Some of the best research on this comes from Raj Chetty. Chetty and a team of researchers…