Circulatory Meritocracy
From Everyday Choices to a Circulatory Meritocracy: How We Could Measure True Social Impact By John Gavel We often hear about meritocracy, wealth, and social progress as if they're straightforward: the talented rise, the wealthy succeed, and the economy grows. But in reality, it’s much more complicated. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I want to share a new way of looking at merit, impact, and decision-making — one that includes everyone, from everyday citizens to large organizations, and even our environment. 1. The Simple Idea: Movement of Wealth Matters At first, it’s easy to think of wealth as a static measure of success. But consider this: A person with limited means who spends thoughtfully supports the economy and community far more actively than a billionaire who hoards their wealth. The flow of money — how it circulates and benefits others — is more meaningful than mere accumulation . From here, we can start to measure merit not just by talent or resource...