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

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Weinstein, Russell
• 署名单位: University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-ECONOMIC POLICY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7731
• DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220174
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 216-241
• 关键词: labor-market conditions; outcomes

摘要

Using mobility report card data, 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. (JEL D31, E32, I23, I28, J31)