Bottlenecks: a new theory of equal opportunity

Abstract

Introduction A. How We Think About Equal Opportunity B. Opportunity Pluralism C. Implications of the Theory Chapter I: Equal Opportunity and Its Problems I.A. Conceptions of Equal Opportunity I.A.1. Rawlsian Equal Opportunity & Starting Gate Theories I.A.2. Tests, Bias, and I.A.3. Luck Egalitarianism and Natural Talents I.A.4. Talent, Luck, and Dworkin I.B. Beyond Distributive Justice: Opportunities and Flourishing I.C. Four Problems for Equal Opportunity I.C.1. The Problem of the Family i. Parental Advantages ii. Mitigation and Compensation iii. Families and the Principle of Fair Life Chances I.C.2. The Problem of Merit i. An Admissions Example ii. Merit for Luck Egalitarians iii. Roemer's EOp Proposal and the Limits of Merit iv. Merit and Self I.C.3. The Problem of the Starting Gate i. Limits of the Ex Ante Perspective ii. Compounded Advantage and the Concatenation of Opportunities iii. Focus on the Youngest? iv. Them That's Got Shall Get I.C.4. The Problem of Individuality i. Schaar's Nightmare and Nozick's Dream ii. Toward A Different Kind of Equal Opportunity Chapter II: Opportunities and Human Development II.A. Natural Difference in Political Theory II.B. Intrinsic Differences, Nature, and Nurture II.B.1. Intrinsic Difference Claims II.B.2. Models of Nature and Nurture II.B.3. Not Even Separate II.C. The Trouble with II.C.1. There Is No II.C.2. The Flynn Effect: An Object Lesson in the Role of Environment II.D. An Iterative Model of Human Development II.D.1. Developing Capacities II.D.2. Interaction with Family and Society II.D.3. Interaction With the World of Employment II.E. The Trouble With II.E.1. A Simple Equalization Problem II.E.2. What if We Don't All Have the Same Goal? II.E.3. The Endogeneity of Preferences and Goals II.E.4. Essential Developmental Opportunities Chapter III: Opportunity Pluralism III.A. Unitary and Pluralistic Opportunity Structures III.A.1 Individuality and Pluralism III.A.2 Positional Goods and Competitive Roles III.A.3. The Anti-Bottleneck Principle III.A.4. Who Controls The Opportunity Structure? III.B. The Dynamics of Bottlenecks III.B.1. Types of Bottlenecks III.B.2. Legitimate Versus Arbitrary Bottlenecks III.B.3. Severity of Bottlenecks III.B.4. How Many People Are Affected By This Bottleneck? III.B.5. What To Do About Bottlenecks III.B.6. Bottlenecks and the Content of Jobs III.B.7. Situating Bottlenecks Within the Opportunity Structure as a Whole III.B.8. Bottlenecks, Efficiency, and Human Capital III.B.9. Potential Benefits of Bottlenecks III.C. Flourishing, Perfectionism, and Priority III.C.1. Equal Opportunity Without a Common Scale III.C.2. Thin Perfectionism and Autonomy Chapter IV: Applications IV.A. Class as Bottleneck IV.A.1. Fear of Downward Mobility: A Parable About How Inequality Matters IV.A.2. College as Bottleneck IV.A.3. Segregation and Integration: A Story of Networks and Norms IV.B. Freedom and Flexibility in the World of Work IV.B.1. Flexibility, Job Lock, and Entrepreneurialism IV.B.2. Workplace Flexibility and Gender Bottlenecks IV.C. Bottlenecks and Antidiscrimination Law IV.C.1 Some Cutting-Edge Statutes and Their Implications IV.C.2. Whom Should Antidiscrimination Law Protect? IV.C.3. An Example: Appearance Discrimination IV.C.4. Bottlenecks, Groups, and Individuals IV.C.5. How Should Antidiscrimination Law Protect? Conclusion Acknowledgments Index