The False Promise of Meritocracy
Americans are, compared with populations of other countries, particularly enthusiastic about the idea of meritocracy, a system that …
How Equal Is American Opportunity? Survey Shows Attitudes Vary By Race
A new survey shows a majority of Americans, regardless of race, agree that race relations have worsened nationally in the past year — …
The case against equality of opportunity
Everyone wants equality of opportunity. It is not a subject of political debate, but the precondition of political debate. Promises to …
Just Deserts
Americans seem likelier than other Westerners to believe the world is fair.
America Is Even Less Socially Mobile Than Most Economists Thought
A Pew report out today tells us things about American social mobility that are new—and at the same time all too familiar. Scads of …
The Other American Dream: Social Mobility, Race and Opportunity
Today, President Obama is marking the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, led by civil rights leader Martin Luther …
Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth
President Obama’s second Inaugural Address used soaring language to reaffirm America’s commitment to the dream of equality of …
Why Income Inequality Is Here to Stay
Before the global financial crisis, income inequality was relegated to the underworld of economics. The motives of those who studied it …
The complicated path to equal opportunity
IN A complaint filed last week, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund charged that the admissions procedures of Stuyvesant High School and other …
