Political Meritocracy in the 21st Century

Name: Political Meritocracy in the 21st Century
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ISBN: 9781009605847

Brian Kogelmann (Purdue University)

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Paperback

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English

Cambridge University Press
08 January 2026

Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500; Confucianism; Political structure & processes; Economic theory & philosophy

Series: Elements in Political Philosophy

Political meritocrats believe political power should be allocated according to virtue and competence. It is an old idea, going back at least to Plato. But what is old is new again, as several political philosophers have recently proposed and defended novel articulations of this ancient idea. The purpose of this short monograph is to offer a critical overview of this literature. I cover three schools of thought. I first look at epistocracy, a form of government identical to modern liberal democracies, except voting power is allocated to citizens according to competence. I then turn to Confucian meritocracy, where more blatantly nondemocratic forms of political meritocracy are defended. I finally look at democratic meritocracy, which is the idea that elections either do or could (if they were appropriately reformed) select virtuous and competent leaders. I end by offering reasons to think the entire enterprise of political meritocracy rests on a mistake.

By: Brian Kogelmann (Purdue University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 124g
ISBN: 9781009605847
ISBN 10: 1009605844
Series: Elements in Political Philosophy
Pages: 76
Publication Date: 08 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction; 2. What is Epistocracy?; 3. Why Epistocracy?; 4. Objections to Epistocracy; 5. What is Confucian Meritocracy?; 6. Confucian Institutional Design; 7. Why Confucian Meritocracy?; 8. Objections to Confucian Meritocracy; 9. Democratic Meritocracy; 10. Is Democracy Meritocratic?; 11. Improving Democracy's Meritocratic Credentials; 12. Does Political Meritocracy Rest on a Mistake; References.