The Meritocracy Myth - Stephen J. McNamee

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Résumé :
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. 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.

Biographie:
Stephen J. McNamee is interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He is the recipient of the University of North Carolina Wilmington Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award, The University of North Carolina Wilmington Distinguished Teaching Professorship Award, and the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors Teaching Award. Robert K. Miller Jr. is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has published widely on the topic of social and economic inequality and is coeditor with Stephen J. McNamee of Inheritance and Wealth in America.

Sommaire:
Acknowledgments 1 The American Dream: Origins and Prospects 2 On Being Made of the Right Stuff: The Case for Merit 3 The Silver Spoon: Inheritance and the Staggered Start 4 It's Not What You Know but ... : Social and Cultural Capital 5 Making the Grade: Education and Mobility 6 Being in the Right Place at the Right Time: The Luck Factor 7 I Did It My Way: The Decline of Self-employment and the Ascent of Corporations 8 An Unlevel Playing Field: Racism, Sexism, and other Isms 9 Growing Inequality in the Twenty-first Century Index About the Authors