Focus on meritocacy leads to poor social outcomes

[EunoiaJAYCEE]

No other country's leaders use the "meritocracy" narrative like Singapore's do. We hear them say Singapore is a meritocratic society so very often..... as if others aren't. Meritocracy is dangled as the main justification for their high salaries and those of their fellow elites - by implication poor Singaporeans remain poor for life because they deserve poverty. And this "meritocratic" thinking is invested deeply in policy-making, always enriching the top yet doing too little for folks stuck on the bottom rungs.


According to visionary billionaire businessman Warren Buffett the economic system cannot be depended on to allocate wages fairly, if anything it only amplifies the disparity of affairs. In fact the subsistence of high income inequality tells us wealth distribution is exceptionally skewed; a privileged few are getting much more than they deserve while many others are not compensated with the bare minimum.

Instead of a purely meritocratic system we should strive for the best social outcomes with policies enacted to sufficiently tackle wealth inequality. If one remains unconvinced much change is needed, then look no further than the Oxfam report that ranked Singapore in the bottom 10 as far as efforts to tackle inequality are concerned.

More at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2019/02/focus-on-meritocacy-leads-to-poor.html

 

[Leongsam]

There is nothing wrong with inequality. If everyone was equal there would be no incentive whatsoever to improve one's lot.

 

[laksaboy]

Meritocracy works. Last thing we need is affirmative action or pandering to women or minorities... which unfortunately the PAP has been guilty of in recent years.

 

[parrardee]

Meritocracy works. Last thing we need is affirmative action or pandering to women or minorities... which unfortunately the PAP has been guilty of in recent years.

Meritocracy does not benefit most of the losers here thats why they bitch about it so vigorously.

 

[mojito]

Meritocracy works. Last thing we need is affirmative action or pandering to women or minorities... which unfortunately the PAP has been guilty of in recent years.

No, when PAP say meritocracy it mean merit determine by PAP. PAP will decide scholar general more merit than peasants, the PM wife more merit than Goodyears, and CECAs more merit than sinkies. No matter who defines, merit is never an objective measure more like an excuse simple as that.

 

[borom]

No, when PAP say meritocracy it mean merit determine by PAP. PAP will decide scholar general more merit than peasants, the PM wife more merit than Goodyears, and CECAs more merit than sinkies. No matter who defines, merit is never an objective measure more like an excuse simple as that.

yes meleetocracy like appointing your personal lawyer to be AG, selling town council software to $2 company owned by PAP, first generation PR need not serve NS, election reserved for a particular race …...

 

[winnipegjets]

There is nothing wrong with inequality. If everyone was equal there would be no incentive whatsoever to improve one's lot.

That is true but when done to the extremes, like now, the social outcomes is disastrous. The masses are not going to accept that their hard work pay pittance while the top 10 percent in society are reaping in. The amount of wealth cornered by the top 10 percent is not based on hard work, but more of their manipulation of the system.

 

[winnipegjets]

Meritocracy does not benefit most of the losers here thats why they bitch about it so vigorously.

Do you even know what is meritocracy?

 

[syed putra]

Those who are slready at the top, will ensure their family members/ clan/ friends stay at the top.

 

[syed putra]

Meritocracy works. Last thing we need is affirmative action or pandering to women or minorities... which unfortunately the PAP has been guilty of in recent years.

Meritocracy does not benefit most of the losers here thats why they bitch about it so vigorously.

So why is it indians are targeted unfairly?

 

[shittypore]

Meritocracy is total bullshit here, jobs and over pricing contracts are alloted to relatives and cronies.

 

[A Singaporean]

Meritocracy ? Job from Father to Son and now grandson.

 

[winnipegjets]

So why is it indians are targeted unfairly?

Indians are over represented everywhere in SINKapore. Target unfairly? Look at the cabinet, how many Indians are there?
I have no problem with Indians ...my issue is with Ah Nehs. If you want to mix our Indians and Ah Nehs together, then you are a traitor. Our Indians are different from Ah Nehs, just like Chinese in SINKapore are different from the Ah Tiongs. I would like to believe our Malays are different from the Mudland Malays.

 

[Leongsam]

That is true but when done to the extremes, like now, the social outcomes is disastrous. The masses are not going to accept that their hard work pay pittance while the top 10 percent in society are reaping in. The amount of wealth cornered by the top 10 percent is not based on hard work, but more of their manipulation of the system.

You make the assumption that in order for the top 10% to win those below them have to lose. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The "system" as you call it, has reduced poverty worldwide by 50% in the last 30 years so it must be working pretty well.

 

[bobby]

When you have in a society a top post that is specifically served for a certain minority...you can never use the term "meritocracy" ever again in that same society

 

[AhMeng]

Indians are over represented everywhere in SINKapore. Target unfairly? Look at the cabinet, how many Indians are there?
I have no problem with Indians ...my issue is with Ah Nehs. If you want to mix our Indians and Ah Nehs together, then you are a traitor. Our Indians are different from Ah Nehs, just like Chinese in SINKapore are different from the Ah Tiongs. I would like to believe our Malays are different from the Mudland Malays.

Well said.

 

[syed putra]

Indians are over represented everywhere in SINKapore. Target unfairly? Look at the cabinet, how many Indians are there?
I have no problem with Indians ...my issue is with Ah Nehs. If you want to mix our Indians and Ah Nehs together, then you are a traitor. Our Indians are different from Ah Nehs, just like Chinese in SINKapore are different from the Ah Tiongs. I would like to believe our Malays are different from the Mudland Malays.

So meritocracy acceptable except when "ah nehs" are involved. Then its considered unfair. But minorities have tolerated " mandarin speakers only" policy for decades.

 

[congo9]

Focusing too much on meritocracy leads to Elitesim and lead to natural Aristocracy .

 

[laksaboy]

Focusing too much on meritocracy leads to Elitesim and lead to natural Aristocracy .

That only happens with fake meritocracy. Real meritocracy is a self-correcting system.

 

[winnipegjets]

You make the assumption that in order for the top 10% to win those below them have to lose. Nothing could be further from the truth.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...rs-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/

wage gains have gone largely to the highest earners. Since 2000, usual weekly wages have risen 3% (in real terms) among workers in the lowest tenth of the earnings distribution and 4.3% among the lowest quarter. But among people in the top tenth of the distribution, real wages have risen a cumulative 15.7%, to $2,112 a week – nearly five times the usual weekly earnings of the bottom tenth ($426)….

in 2016 Americans in the top tenth of the income distribution earned 8.7 times as much as Americans in the bottom tenth ($109,578 versus $12,523). In 1970, when the analysis period began, the top tenth earned 6.9 times as much as the bottom tenth ($63,512 versus $9,212).