Unequal but Fair: Understanding Meritocratic Rhetoric over Time

• In Event: Economic Policy Preferences

Abstract

It is well documented that neither increases in inequality at the top nor declining social mobility have damaged beliefs in the American dream (Mijs, 2021). The prevalence of meritocratic preferences and their role in structuring redistributive beliefs are the subject of a booming literature, but their origins remain untested. To address this question, we look at how the political discourse on welfare has evolved in the American Congress in the past century (1920-2020). We employ supervised machine learning models to trace how meritocratic narratives emerge over time and how they spread among political elites. By looking at the long-term trend, we test Sandel’s (2019) argument that, by favouring individual achievement over equality, the left has embraced meritocracy at the expense of class-based rhetoric. We then look at what predicts the usage of meritocratic discourse, linking it with changes in the economic structure and elite composition. Understanding the origins and prevalence of meritocratic rhetoric sheds light on why narratives about the American dream are still so deeply embedded despite rampant inequality. We show the decline of competition between alternative ideological narratives and of a solidaristic way of understanding the role of state, suggesting meritocracy has become the hegemonic discourse shared by both parties.

Author

• Anna Clemente, European University Institute