Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy

As a torrent of wealth and power is washing away the fragile footholds people had established in the old economy, the task of understanding and tackling our staggering levels of inequality has never been more urgent.

People across the UK face being left behind all together by global, technological & climatic change.

Their struggle is made all the more riling by the false narratives of strivers and skivers. Such narratives corrode social trust, drive divisions in our communities and disempower those whose attempts to improve their lives are constantly thwarted by a rigged economic system.

The New Economics Foundation and The Equality Trust are therefore delighted to host Robert Frank to discuss his book: Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy.

Robert will ask: Is luck important in economic success? Or do people get rich only because of their own talent and hard work?

In recent years, social scientists have discovered that chance plays a much larger role in important life outcomes than most people imagine. Robert will explore why the rich underestimate the importance of luck in success—and why that hurts everyone, even the wealthy.

He will go on to discuss the implications of these recent findings for taxation. He proposes a progressive consumption tax to replace the income tax, which could lead to reductions in inequality, reductions in environmental impacts and improvements in wellbeing.

Robert's talk will be followed by author and journalist Zoe Williams, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham and author of the Spirit Level Richard Wilkinson and CEO of The Equality Trust Wanda Wyporska.

The evening will be chaired by Annie Quick, Lead for Inequality and Wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation.

This event will take place on Thursday 8th December 2016 at the New Economics Foundation, from 18:00 - 19:30 followed by drinks reception.