Somebodies and Nobodies

First how many more surveys / research do we need to confirm the obvious. Could we spend our time and energy more efficiently.

Regarding the topic the problem is all across the board, people abuse the system at all levels. Someone can be at the bottom of the system but still be able to unfairly manipulate the system to their advantage. Working in HR we see this all the time. This is not a big boss, rich and powerful issue only.

The previous comment is off the mark, because this kind of research and writing are needed to convince people who hold power/are in charge of policy/are influential/are designing our social programs who don't think this type of thing is "obvious", yet proven, or important.

For example, this spring, the mainstream media in the UK have been heavily discussing research studies like this one that have shown that UK society is less equal, less meritocratic, now than it was a generation ago. It's now the least socially-mobile society in Europe (or that might be in the EU, or Western Europe, I forget what the comparison group was), and that has surprised some of them, confirmed what others believed but didn't have proof for, and goaded some in the government, thinktanks, and charities there to try to understand, address, and fix this. There is an understanding that a highly unequal society with limited social mobility is unwise, unfair, and wasteful on many levels.