Fifty years after the term meritocracy was coined, this book asks where the idea of meritocracy has led.

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• A team of commentators consider diverse topics such as family and meritocracy, meritocracy and ethnic minorities, and what is meant by talent
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• Contains commentaries by a selection of researchers, activists and politicians, from Asa Briggs to David Willetts, on the origin, meaning and future of meritocracy
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• Demonstrates that Michael Young, who wrote The Rise of the Meritocracy, was right to question the viability of political systems trying to organise themselves around the idea of meritocracy
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• Essential reading for everyone interested in where we are going, and the future of New Labour itself