This website uses cookies.

By clicking the "Accept" button or continuing to browse our site, you agree to first-party and session-only cookies being stored on your device to enhance site navigation and analyze site performance and traffic. For more information on our use of cookies, please see our Privacy Policy.

  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
  4. Forthcoming Articles
  5. The Great Recession and the Widening Income Gap Between Alumni of Elite and Less Selective Universities

American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy

ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)

The Great Recession and the Widening Income Gap Between Alumni of Elite and Less Selective Universities

  • Russell Weinstein
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy (Forthcoming)

Abstract

Using mobility report card data (Chetty et al., 2020a), I show the income gap between alumni of elite and less selective universities widened for cohorts graduating during the Great Recession. This is evident for mean and median incomes, and access to high earning percentiles. Results do not appear driven by differences in student composition, including parental income. Using a unique dataset of recruiting strategies for prestigious firms, I highlight one channel through which university selectivity may have a causal impact: high-wage firms concentrated their recruiting at elite universities during the recession. The results are informative for policies increasing lower-income students’ representation at selective universities.

Downloads