The Meritocratic Narrative Is the Worst Story Except for All the Others: A Response to Eisenman et al. (2024)

The "meritocratic narrative" advances the belief that hard work and talent lead to rewards, with opportunities equally accessible regardless of social background (Young. 1994), In their essay, Eisenman, Foroughi, and Foster (2024) present a compelling critique of what they call the "myth of neoliberal meritocracy" in management education. They argue that economic inequality is reproduced when business students "uncritically accept the neoliberal myth of meritocracy" (Eisenman et al., 2024: 433) and that management educators should, therefore, disrupt students' attraction to this narrative. Their concerns about meritocratic narratives are well founded. As Michael Young (1994) warned in coining the term "meritocracy" in 1958, these narratives can create a harsh form of social judgment, where success and failure are seen as purely earned outcomes. This can foster unwarranted pride among the advantaged and demoralizing self-blame among the disadvantaged (see also Maclean, 2024), In addition, more recently, Sandel (2020) and Brooks (2024) have persuasively argued that meritocratic narratives often define merit too narrowly, privileging cognitive abilities while devaluing other essential contributions. These critiques illuminate how meritocratic narratives can undermine both individual well-being and social cohesion.