Introduction: Reviewing meritocracy

Political Quarterly

Volumn 77, Issue SUPPL. 1, 2006, Pages 1-14

  Dench, Geoff ^a  

^a YOUNG FOUNDATION   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 33845645086     PISSN: 00323179     EISSN: 1467923X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-923X.2006.00776.x     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (11)

1. See page 281 of Peter Hennessy, 'Michael Young and the Labour Party', Contemporary British History, vol. 19, no. 3, 2005, pp. 281-4.
2. Geoff Dench, 'Tracking the Demeter tie', in Geoff Dench, Tony Flower and Kate Gavron, eds, Young at Eighty: the Prolific Public Life of Michael Young, Manchester, Carcanet, 1995.
3. Michael Young, The Rise of the Meritocracy, New Brunswick, Transaction, 1994, p. 123.
4. See, for example, Geoff Dench, Kate Gavron and Michael Young, The New East End, London, Profile, 2006, chapters 5 and 6.
5. See, for example, Tom Sefton, 'Give and take: attitudes to redistribution', in Alison Park et al., eds, British Social Attitudes, the 22nd Report, London, Sage, 2005.
6. Edward Shils and Michael Young, 'The meaning of the coronation', The Sociological Review, new series, vol. 1, no. 2, December 1953.
7. In this respect, it is interesting that the sponsorship of social mobility within relatively deprived groups is seen in Britain as part of the normal practice of running an e.ective meritocracy. In many countries there is a sharp distinction made between meritocracy - where educational and occupational progression is based strictly on performance - and affirmative action - where preference is shown to members of under-achieving groups, and which is usually regarded as hostile to meritocracy. The Labour Government does not deny promoting the social mobility of under-performing groups, in the interests of social harmony and stability, and overall social justice. But it generally claims that this does not constitute affirmative action, on the grounds that no specific quotas are set!
8. See my chapter below.
9. 'Social justice demands [sic] that a person's life chances should not depend on those of their parents. In a socially just society, the daughter of a Hartlepool shop assistant would have the same chance of becoming a high court judge as the daughter of a Harley Street doctor. It may never be possible to attain that ideal of social mobility, but we should strain every ounce of our political energy to get nearer it and make it the animating theme of New Labour.' (The Guardian, 10 January 2002.)
10. W. G. Runciman, Relative Deprivation and Social Justice: a Study of Attitudes to Inequality in Twentieth Century England, London, Routledge, 1966.
11. Adam Swift, 'Would perfect mobility be perfect?' European Sociological Review, vol. 20, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1-11.