E46 James Bloodworth: Myth Of Meritocracy

In episode #46 I was joined by journalist and author, James Bloodworth. James's book, The Myth Of Meritocracy, is a detailed investigation of the inequalities at the heart of how society works.  Bloodworth has found that if you're born poor you'll stay poor in spite of the widely-held belief that hard work and intelligence will see us rewarded with a better quality for ourselves and our family.

Topics covered during the conversation:

1. What Meritocracy is and why it's a myth.
2. Why political parties have embraced it as an ideal worth pursuing (or at least talking about pursuing).
3. Why there is so little social mobility in society.
4. The role of genetics in social mobility.
5. The failure of education to address inequality of opportunity and income.
6. What we can do to make society more egalitarian.

James was a brilliant guest and his book is an excellent, concise read. In a lot of ways The Myth Of Meritocracy confirms something you've probably always felt to be true but does it better than you ever could.

Enjoy the episode. Dave

For full episode notes, including links to where you can get James's book, please visit my blog at inspireland podcast.