Meritocracy is a contentious element of the liberal script. Supporters of the principle for distributing positions and goods emphasize its empowering effects for all individuals alike. Yet, critics reveal it being a façade legitimizing the actual reproduction of powerful elites. In Chávez’ Venezuela like in other Latin American countries the controversies about the liberal script condense around the question of meritocracy, which is associated with many decades, if not centuries, of undelivered promises and massive inequalities. To avoid any polarization, advocates of the liberal script should reconsider de-facto effects of meritocracy beyond its principled foundations.

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