Class Ridden or Meritocratic? An Economic Analysis of Recent Changes in Britain

Fernando Galindo-Rueda () and Anna Vignoles

No 677, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: In a meritocratic society an individual's economic success is determined by their ability, not by their parents' socio-economic status. We assess whether meritocracy has increased in both the British education system and labour market. The richness of our longitudinal data enables us to look at the complex inter-relationship between social class, ability, education and labour market outcomes. In Britain the production of human capital (cognitive ability and education) has become less meritocratic and more influenced by social background. Whilst cognitive ability is an important determinant of labour market success, there is only mild support for an increase in its importance.

Keywords: meritocracy; ability; human capital; social class; wages (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 62 pages
Date: 2002-12
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Working Paper: Class Ridden or Meritocratic? An Economic Analysis of Recent Changes in Britain (2003)
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