Smart, hard-working people who consistently exercise good judgement, prefer merit-based systems.
They do better in merit-based systems than systems that reward those who are born lucky, who have access, or who cheat and lie.
Is a citation really needed?
Yes the rational choice model is well-established to be false.
They may act in their perceived self-interest, but rational self-interest involves a lot more than that.
Citation? I hear this a lot, and it seems to stem from a misunderstanding of the word "rational" in this context, which I believe is supposed to mean "perceived" - how else would you objectively define rational?
Is it rational for a thirsting person to prefer gatorade to water (it is for them, if that's the choice they want to make)? Do you have more perfect information to justify your opinion on the matter as more "rational"?
“Rationality” refers specifically to this mathematical optimization.