Research

What is merit? 

Perceptions of merit have become a primary means that gatekeepers to elite schools and elite jobs distribute opportunity in the United States. While popular discourse often depicts merit as a straightforward property of individuals, sociologists have shown that perceptions of merit are socially constructed. What counts as being qualified or a good fit for a role is subjective, historically situated, context-dependent and intertwined with the identities of the people performing and being evaluated.

My research builds on these insights to examine how the way people define and evaluate merit in organizations is both shaped by and shapes broader social inequalities. In particular, I use qualitative and quantitative field methods to investigate how gatekeepers in elite settings make decisions about whom to include and exclude from their organizations and what the downstream consequences are for the distribution of opportunity in the United States. I also study organizational interventions that can increase efficacy and equity in decision-making. I’ve researched these issues in a variety of organizational contexts, such as hiring and promotion practices in elite corporations and universities as well as educational admissions.