The Meritocracy Myth - Hardcover

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

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1442219815 ISBN 13: 9781442219816

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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. (1948–2015) was professor emeritus of sociology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He published widely on the topic of social and economic inequality and was coeditor with Stephen J. McNamee of Inheritance and Wealth in America.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442219815
• ISBN 13: 9781442219816
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 264