THE MERITOCRATIC CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRATIC THEORIES

Abstract

"In contemporary Anglo-American scholarship, elections are often considered the best way to choose politicians; however, several scholars outside of Anglo-American circles have recently challenged this assumption. They claim that selection systems aimed at recruiting and promoting the most meritorious are a better way to choose political leaders than democratic elections. This thesis assesses the meritocratic challenge to democracy by evaluating the theoretical implications of different mechanisms of selecting and promoting political leaders. I ultimately defend a theory of hybrid governance: meritocratic democracy. Meritocratic democracy is based on the idea that both democracy and meritocracy are equal and essential principles for the effective selection of future political leaders and that the main political decisions affecting a country should be the result of collaborations among meritocratic and democratic institutions. The analysis of empirical studies on some features of the Singaporean political system further substantiates my claim for a hybrid form of governance."