Meritocracy or Utopia – Glenn Loury
I ve been very vocal in my advocacy for meritocratic values. And for meritocracy to function correctly, we need to ensure that everyone is participating on as level a playing field as possible. This is why I often criticize the most extreme examples of affirmative action while maintaining that we do need affirmative action in some form. On the one hand, admitting underrepresented students who do not have the same qualifications as their peers to elite institutions is a profound mistake. It doesn t help the underrepresented students, it damages the integrity of the institution, and it can have far-reaching negative effects in society.
On the other hand, a student from a wealthy family may have access to more resources better schools, better teachers, better tutors than a student from a poor family. They both have to take the same tests. If the rich kid performs better on the tests, can we be sure it s because she s that much smarter than the poor kid? Or might she simply have had more help? We should want to mitigate these disparities, to truly level the playing field and allow both students to perform to the best of their ability, and then let the chips fall where they may. If that s what you mean by affirmative action, I m for it.