Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
The Limits of Meritocracy in a Racially Divided Society
2026-06-25
This article distinguishes between “thin” and “thick” meritocracy in order to clarify contemporary debates about race, inequality, and equal opportunity. Thin meritocracy focuses exclusively on fairness at the point of selection—neutral rules and race-blind procedures governing the allocation of scarce opportunities. Thick meritocracy retains procedural neutrality while also addressing the formative institutional and relational conditions under which merit is cultivated. Drawing on economic, philosophical, and sociological perspectives, I argue that in a racially stratified society, exclusive reliance on race-blind selection risks legitimating inherited disadvantage. A defensible meritocracy must therefore be race conscious in diagnosis, race neutral in allocation, and relational in method. By integrating insights from Rawls, Miller, Markovits, Sandel, Anderson, and Sen, I propose a developmental ethic that protects standards while expanding access to the pathways through which achievement is formed.