SKU: 17778818443

The Meritocracy Trap

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The Meritocracy TrapA revolutionary new argument from eminent Yale Law professor Daniel Markovits attacking the false promise of meritocracy It is an axiom of American life that advantage should be earned through ability and effort. Even as the country divides itself at every turn, the meritocratic ideal that social and economic rewards should follow achievement rather than breeding reigns supreme. Both Democrats and Republicans insistently repeat meritocratic notions.

A revolutionary new argument from eminent Yale Law professor Daniel Markovits attacking the false promise of meritocracy

It is an axiom of American life that advantage should be earned through ability and effort. Even as the country divides itself at every turn, the meritocratic ideal that social and economic rewards should follow achievement rather than breeding reigns supreme. Both Democrats and Republicans insistently repeat meritocratic notions. Meritocracy cuts to the heart of who we are. It sustains the American dream.

But what if, both up and down the social ladder, meritocracy is a sham? Today, meritocracy has become exactly what it was conceived to resist: a mechanism for the concentration and dynastic transmission of wealth and privilege across generations. Upward mobility has become a fantasy, and the embattled middle classes are now more likely to sink into the working poor than to rise into the professional elite. At the same time, meritocracy now ensnares even those who manage to claw their way to the top, requiring rich adults to work with crushing intensity, exploiting their expensive educations in order to extract a return. All this is not the result of deviations or retreats from meritocracy but rather stems directly from meritocracy's successes.

This is the radical argument that Daniel Markovits prosecutes with rare force. Markovits is well placed to expose the sham of meritocracy. Having spent his life at elite universities, he knows from the inside the corrosive system we are trapped within. Markovits also knows that, if we understand that meritocratic inequality produces near-universal harm, we can cure it. When The Meritocracy Trap reveals the inner workings of the meritocratic machine, it also illuminates the first steps outward, towards a new world that might once again afford dignity and prosperity to the American people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Markovits is Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School and founding director of the Center for the Study of Private Law.

REVIEWS:

Ambitious and disturbing. . . Markovits forcefully interrupts the comfortable bath of self-flattery in which our well-graduated professionals pass their hours.
New York Times Book Review

"The Meritocracy Trap defines a central issue of our age: the rise of new elites who, unlike their aristocratic forebears, seem to have the moral high ground. The system is rigged in a different way, but it's still rigged all right."
Sunday Times

We've been waiting for the Big Book that explains America's wrong turn. Daniel Markovits has supplied it. The Meritocracy Trap is a sociological masterpiece a damning indictment of parenting and schools, an unflattering portrait of a ruling class and the economy it invented. Far too many readers will recognize themselves in his brilliant critique, and they will feel a rush of anger, a pang of regret, and a burning desire to remake the system.
Franklin Foer, author of World Without Mind

Provocatively weighing in on growing inequality, Daniel Markovits weaves a disturbing tale of merit and social division. Pulling no punches, he warns us that meritocracy is a trap, fetishizing certain skills and endless assessments. Markovitz shows in exquisite detail the perverse link between an upper class education and elite jobs and how together they enrich the few, while devaluing and demoralizing the rest.
Jerry Brown, former governor of California

At once wide-ranging and rigorous, subtle and penetrating, Markovits's book is revelatory both in its particulars and in its big picture. Anyone who wants to argue about the merits of meritocracy must take account of this book.
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law, NYU and author of The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity

Daniel Markovits has written a bold, brave critique of the meritocracy-backed version of inequality that prevails today. He argues persuasively that meritocracy is destructive and demoralizing for winners and losers alike. Challenging conventional wisdom, Markovits shows that technological change is not a fact of nature that happens to increase the value of highly credentialed workers; instead, the prevalence of credentialed elites calls forth technologies that bias the labor market in their favor and hollow out the middle class. This is a splendid book that should prompt soul-searching among meritocrats.
Michael J. Sandel, author of What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets

The system is rigged. And the culprit, Daniel Markovits argues, is meritocracythe same ideal that was supposed to promote fairness. Brilliant, lucid, and urgent, The Meritocracy Trap exposes a national catastrophe.

James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own

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Carmen Alicea
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Secrets, Seduction, and Rockstars!
Format: Kindle
Rockstars, secrets, and off-the-charts chemistry? Sign me up! Cinder Blaze takes us on a rollercoaster of passion and peril with Knot Their Omega. Blair Vesper, a secret Omega masquerading as an Alpha, strikes a risky deal to tour with Blooming Salvation, a band teetering on the edge of chaos. Enter Icarus Morrigan, the enigmatic manager, and his three complicated and irresistibly sexy rockstars: wild Kenji, icy Kaiser, and fiery Nathaniel. This book delivers steamy Omegaverse drama, sizzling slow-burn romance, and just the right dash of angst. The tension between Blair and the band crackles like electricity onstage, while the societal stakes add depth to the spicy dynamics. Short, sharp, and oh-so-sinful Knot Their Omega will have you hooked from the first note!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2024
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Amanda
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
A good read
Format: Kindle
A good read, just fluffy cuteness, no antagonism. I like all the characters. It could have used another round of editing however, glanfds being one error that cracked me up, and my personal pet peeve was that the author kept using the word fill instead of feel, which I promise you are not interchangeable haha, but it's definitely better than the majority of books I read on here mistake-wise.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2024
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Cecy Melero
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 4
amazing
Format: Kindle
Knot the Bride was a fantastic read! The characters were all amazing and well-developed. It was easy to like them all. Sophia, Luca, Nick, and Gavin were all perfect for each other. It was such a charming story that had me hooked the entire time. I did wish there were POVs from Luca, Nick, and Gavin but it was still an amazing book without it. I am excited to read the next book in the Willowside Omegaverse series! This is definitely a must-read for fans of omegaverse romance!. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2025
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Tara
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 3
3 Star Read,
Format: Kindle
This book wasn't bad, but wasn't my cup of tea. It's highly disappointing because the storyline is so original. There is no real conflict or resolution, so the entire thing feels flat. As a lover of omegaverse books, I know there is a ton of variety out there, and ov is really up to the author. But this one is weird. Omegas have multiple scent glands all over their bodies and go into week long heats every month. Alphas have knots in the middle of their shaft instead of the base, and the knot doesn't always swell, no explanation of when or why. It doesn't engage at all when the mouth is in play. I also didn't enjoy the author's writing style. Each paragraph is only 1 or 2 sentences long, and the entire book reads very stacato. The conversations are stiff and unnatural feeling. Everything is very repetitive, both in word choice and in thought. The same thing is repeated 3 or 4 times over a single page, multiple times over. I ended up doing so much skimming. The first 50% of the book is all slow burn, and the last 50% is almost straight mediocre spice. This wouldn't have been all bad if the grammar and spelling errors didn't start at the exact same time. Tongue is repeatedly misspelled in the middle of the spice.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
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Debby & Brian
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Cozy Omegaverse
Format: Kindle
This is the true definition of Cozy Omegaverse. LA wedding coordinator meets her pack at the location for a couple’s destination wedding. Low angst because they are scent matched high heat with heats and knots. Everything you love about this genre with very little anxiety. Simply a fun experience to read and a book I will comeback to when I’m in a slump. I simply love reading this book
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026

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