Aristocracy of talent : how meritocracy made the modern world

Table of Contents: Introduction: A Revolutionary Idea Part I: Priority, Degree and Place 1. Homo hierarchicus 2. Family Power 3. Nepotism, Patronage, Venality Part II: Meritocracy before Modernity 4. Plato and the Philosopher Kings 5. China and the Examination State 6. The Chosen People 7. The Golden Ladder Part III: The Rise of the Meritocracy 8. Europe and the Career Open to Talent 9. Britain and the Intellectual Aristocracy 10. The United States and the Republic of Merit Part IV: The March of the Meritocrats 11. The Measurement of Merit 12. The Meritocratic Revolution 13. Girly Swots Part V: The Crisis of the Meritocracy 14. Against Meritocracy: The Revolt on the Left 15. The Corruption of the Meritocracy 16. Against Meritocracy: The Revolt on the Right 17. Asia Rediscovers Meritocracy

In the book, the author traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. The author looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. The author also shows how meritocracy has now become corrupted and argues that the recent stalling of social mobility is the result of failure to complete the meritocratic revolution.