Daily: Is MERITOCRACY a myth?

When people end up in a job or position they love, was it because they worked hard in school, or did they just get lucky? Why is the idea of progressing on merit under threat? Is there a way we can modernise it for the 21st century? Should we we even try?

Adrian Wooldridge, Political Editor of the Economist and author of its Bagehot column, talks to Ros Taylor about his new book The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, why Britain is becoming less meritocratic… and how we can make meritocracy work in today’s world.

• “While America claims to be the ultimate meritocracy, they are fascinated by our own aristocracy”
• “You need competent people to do the work of the world, and aristocrats are quite often born stupid and lazy”
• “The Davos class of people at the top are divorced from the rest of society, floating above our meritocratic mechanisms”

Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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