The paradox of local inequality: Meritocratic beliefs in unequal localities.

ABSTRACT: A puzzle has emerged amidst rising inequality: why do people profess high levels of belief in meritocracy even as income gains are increasingly concentrated at the top? In light of contradictory theories and evidence, we undertake the first assessment of the relationship between local income inequality and meritocratic beliefs outside the United States, using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. We find that the positive relationship between country-level income inequality and meritocratic beliefs identified in the recent literature does not translate straightforwardly below country level: there is no robust relationship between local income inequality and meritocratic beliefs in England. However, there is a robust-and somewhat paradoxical-positive association between high local

SUBMITTER: Morris K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9314027 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature