Meritocracy is a form of government where leaders are chosen based on their merit or ability. Singapore is a modern example. It rewards performance and seeks out people with the best skills and qualifications. However, it can be limiting to the well-rounded development of individuals and may discredit capable people who aren’t as smart or educated. In a meritocracy, there is no limit to how far a person can advance, and it promotes a valuable work ethic.
A meritocracy is a form of government or administration in which leaders and others are chosen and advanced in position based on their merit or ability. There are relatively few governments in the world that are based on this ideology. A modern example of meritocracy can be found in Singapore.
Performance is rewarded
As a form of government, meritocracy seeks out people who have the best skills and qualifications, including education, and rewards those who perform well. Identifying people who have certain skills could be done through testing educational materials, looking at experience levels and other types of assessments, or a combination of these assessments. Some critics argue that this form of government is highly discriminatory because it may automatically discredit some people who have capable skills but aren’t as smart or educated as others.
Advantages and disadvantages
In Singapore, for example, some children may be conditioned to seek greater enrichment at a certain age, based on aptitudes. It is possible, in some cases, that these children are not free to choose their own career paths or are exposed to all possible options. In such cases, a meritocracy can be limiting to the well-rounded development of individuals.
The tradeoff in these situations is that the people who are chosen to be inducted into this program are likely to live a life of privilege, never wanting for anything. People in a meritocracy usually work their way up through the lower levels of government, gaining experience as they go. In some ways, this may not be all that different from lower-level government employees in other types of settings gaining experience and working their way up the ranks, gradually receiving more responsibilities over time.
Unlimited advancement possibilities
Unlike other forms of government, in a meritocracy there is often no limit to how far a person can advance. In other types of government, after an official reaches a certain level, he may only be able to advance by appointment. This appointment might be based in part on merit, but there are usually political considerations that also play a role in advancement. In a meritocracy, it is possible for a person to advance to the highest level – even becoming the leader of the nation – without having to worry about political considerations.
Promotes difficult speech
A meritocracy, according to those who advocate such a form of government, has more capacity to instill a valuable work ethic in individuals than other forms of government. If citizens know that progress is based on merit, they are more likely to do things that will improve their chances, it is assumed. Therefore, they will work and study to prove themselves capable of better things.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
