In short, for Sandel and Tawney, equal opportunity measures are insufficient to deal with the problem of inequality and social disintegration. He rather argues for a kind of republican politics with equality of conditions so that people can be consolidated to tackle the problem together. We will further discuss Sandels republican thesis below. However, in the following, I would first show that Sandels and Tawneys equality of condition are actually similar to Mulligans equal opportunity.

4.5 Equality of Opportunity Versus Equality of Condition Basically, there are two kinds of equal opportunity: formal and substantive. While the formal equal opportunity aims to ensure open and fair competition for advantaged positions, substantive equal opportunity further demands that all have a genuine opportunity to become qualified (Arneson 2015). It seems that what Sandel and Tawney criticize is the formal concept of equal opportunity existing in the US; and the equality of condition they argue for, as well as Mulligans equal opportunity, are indeed a substantive concept of equal opportunity, that is, making everyone compete on an equal footing without the influence of ones family background. In addition, apart from an equal footing for competition in economic distribution, Sandel and Tawney are also concerned about the equal conditions and citizens democratic participation.

The above analysis seems to show that Mulligans egalitarian meritocracy can avoid the problem of inequality and meritocratic hubris raised by Sandel. However, it is doubtful whether Mulligans suggested solution can really achieve his intended egalitarian, consolidated meritocratic community. In particular, one of the major

In the following, I argue that both Sandels and Mulligans proposed solution is not sufficient to deal with the inequality caused by unequal family backgrounds. Rather, I would argue that equal educational opportunities are one of the important ways to achieve equality of conditions as suggested by Sandel. By taking warning from the experience of Hong Kongs educational reform, I would argue for achieving equal educational opportunities by leveling-up policy, that is, providing public-funded quality teaching that is competitive with private schools, so that everyone has an equal chance to receive a quality education regardless of their family background. Furthermore, I will also show that equal educational opportunities and republican democracy are mutually supported in order to achieve a kind of egalitarian meritocratic community.