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Is the West really meritocratic?

Oct 15, 2019

Leading US academic and author, Daniel Markovits, challenges the meritocratic idea in the West, arguing it perpetuates inequality. Discussions on the role of elite schools in supporting disadvantaged students, efforts of top universities to diversify applicants, and positive discrimination in India. Exploring economic inequalities, educational challenges, and the myth of equal opportunity in the US.

18:26

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Episode guests

Daniel Markovits

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Quick takeaways

Meritocracy in the US fuels inequality, benefiting the affluent at the expense of others.

Affirmative action aims to level the education field for underprivileged students, promoting social mobility.

Deep dives

The Myth of Meritocracy in America

The podcast discusses the concept of meritocracy in the US and how economic inequality has led to a segmented class hierarchy. It highlights the challenges faced in the education system, where affluent families invest in expensive educations to gain advantage. The system favors the rich, leading to stark differences in academic performance based on economic status. The podcast questions the idea of the American Dream and the fairness of the meritocratic system.

Introduction

2min

The New Aristocracy of Schooling and Privilege

10min

Navigating Educational Challenges and Affirmative Action Systems in India and the UK

2min

Challenges and Considerations in University Admissions for Disadvantaged Students

2min

Examining Meritocracy, Economic Inequality, and the American Dream

3min

We hear the arguments of leading US academic and author, Daniel Markovits, whose book The Meritocracy Trap argues that meritocracy in the United States and other Western free-market economies is a myth that fuels inequality.

Temba Maqubela, the head of The Groton School - one of America's top private schools - outlines the role that elite establishments such as his could play in helping less advantaged students. Meanwhile Samina Khan, director of undergraduate admissions at Oxford University, says top universities like hers are working hard to target a more diverse range of applicants. Plus Kiruba Munusamy, an advocate at the Supreme Court of India, describes how a system of positive discrimination helped her get a top job despite India's caste system.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Photo: Signposts for Yale and Harvard, Credit: Getty Images)

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Business Daily

Is the West really meritocratic?

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Myth of Meritocracy in America

Affirmative Action and Social Mobility

Rising Economic Inequality and Policy Implications

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts