A recent Doha Debates event, hosted by the Qatar Foundation, brought together global experts and students to confront a critical question: does hard work still guarantee success, or has the concept of meritocracy become a tool that reinforces inequality? The discussion weighed the ideal of “earned success” against the realities of systemic barriers and inherited advantage.
Meritocracy as a Barrier to Equality
Daniel Markovits, a professor of law at Yale Law School, argued that the very system designed to promote fairness has become a primary obstacle to it. “Meritocracy has become the principal obstacle to equality of opportunity, at least in the rich countries of the world,” he stated. Markovits warned that intense competition, built upon elite education and pre-existing advantages, has effectively replaced genuine social mobility.
This perspective was echoed from a human-centred angle by Dr Poornima Luthra, an associate professor at Copenhagen Business School. She challenges the idea that opportunity is equally accessible, framing meritocracy as a belief rather than a reality. “In reality, people experience bias and discrimination across many aspects of their identity,” Luthra explained, suggesting that personal merit is often overshadowed by prejudice.
The Case for Individual Responsibility
Offering a starkly different viewpoint, Bryan Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University, defended the core principles of meritocracy. He contended that the system’s potential is hindered by global restrictions. “Meritocracy is pretty real if we actually had open borders where anyone could work anywhere,” Caplan said. For him, prosperity is fundamentally tied to personal responsibility and the freedom of movement, not structural interventions by governments.
Parag Khanna, founder and CEO of AlphaGeo, offered a path to redefine the concept for a globalised world. He sees potential in a system where expertise is paramount. “Meritocracy can work if the most qualified people are making decisions about the shape and direction of society,” Khanna suggested, pointing to governance models that reward specialised knowledge and facilitate mobility.
Student Perspectives from Qatar
The debate resonated deeply with students from universities across Qatar, who provided personal reflections on the issue. Sundus Saeed, a 26-year-old social sciences student at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, voiced her scepticism about the current system. “The system often ensures that people stay out, and if someone rises, hurdles are placed in their way to maintain the status quo,” she observed.
However, Carl Jambo, a 22-year-old studying international economics at Georgetown University in Qatar, presented an opposing view. He sees meritocracy as an empowering force for individual achievement. “Meritocracy gives you the platform to prove yourself, an individual against the world,” Jambo concluded. The varied student responses highlight that for the next generation, the debate over fairness, effort, and opportunity is far from settled.
