Term

Meritocracy

A social system in which a person’s position and income depend on their abilities and achievements.

Explained in

Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy, Robert H. Frank
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, David Brooks
A way of organizing society in which a person's place depends on their merit, education and achievements.
Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux
The principle that people advance by merit and ability, not by birth or connections.