Rasipogula Vinod Kumar, a PhD scholar at the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH), presented a paper titled “Plutocratic Merit and Dystopia: Caste, Class, and marketizing NEET under Neoliberal India” at an international conference organized by the Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, UK on 17th March 2025.
The conference, “The Myth of Meritocracy: Rethinking Inequality in Organizational Studies,” featured keynote speaker Professor Sam Friedman from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He works on class and inequality, and cultural dimensions of contemporary class division. His recent seminal work examines the British elite from the Victorian era to today: who are the elites, how do the elites get better positions, where they go to school, and what politics they perpetuate and how elites normalise and justify their merit as legitimate.
Vinod’s paper critically examines the NEET exam, arguing that its meritocracy exacerbates social and educational inequalities. He adopted a mixed-methods approach, using data from national testing agencies and surveys. This study critically engages the questions of how ideas of integrated or private coaching institutions have shaped the public education strategy and how do different forms of capitals negotiate with market-driven merit? This study adopted mixed-methods of triangulation, critical inquiry framework and used data from national testing agency, National Medical council, and All India survey on Higher education. This contemporary NEET exam cannot be analysed in isolation without the critical appraisal of economic apparatuses, reproduction of legitimate social stratification of neoliberal capitalism.
Vinod expressed gratitude to his supervisor, Prof. K. Raja Mohan Rao, for his constant support and encouragement and his astonishing ideas on meritocratic justifications have helped to refine the paper. He also thanked director Prof. Sreepati Ramudu, Prof. Ajailiu Niumai, and Prof. J. Rani Ratna Prabha for their support.
Vinod expressed gratitude to the Southampton Business School for funding his travel and accommodation.