Signals, Information, and the Value of College Names

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Eble, Alex; Hu, Feng
• 署名单位: Columbia University; University of Science & Technology Beijing
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01277
• 发表日期: 2025-03
• 页码: 355-371
• 关键词: labor-market; students evidence; school choice; education; reputation; demand; DISCRIMINATION; uncertainty; QUALITY; ability

摘要

Colleges can send signals about their quality by adopting new, more alluring names. We study how this affects college choice and labor market performance of college graduates. Administrative data show name-changing colleges enroll higher-aptitude students, with larger effects for alluring-but-misleading name changes and among students with less information. A large resume audit study suggests a small premium for new college names in most jobs, and a significant penalty in lower-status jobs. We characterize student and employer beliefs using web-scraped text, surveys, and other data. Our study shows signals designed to change beliefs can have real, lasting impacts on market outcomes.