The Meritocracy Myth

by McNamee, Stephen J.; Miller, Robert K., Jr.

• ISBN13: 9780742561687
• ISBN10: 0742561682
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-30
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

The 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.

Author Biography

Stephen J. Mcnamee is professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Robert K. Miller Jr. is professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
The American Dream: Origins and Prospects	p. 1
On Being Made of the Right Stuff: The Case for Merit	p. 25
The Silver Spoon: Inheritance and the Staggered Start	p. 55
It's Not What You Know but...: Social and Cultural Capital	p. 79
Making the Grade: Education and Mobility	p. 107
Being in the Right Place at the Right Time: The Luck Factor	p. 137
I Did It My Way: The Decline of Self-employment and the Ascent of Corporations	p. 165
An Unlevel Playing Field: Racism and Sexism	p. 189
Discrimination by Any Other Name: Other Isms	p. 225
Growing Inequality in the Twenty-first Century	p. 243
Index	p. 269
About the Authors	p. 285
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