Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital

133 Pages Posted: 4 Sep 2024

See all articles by Andrés Barrios Fernández

Andrés Barrios Fernández

London School of Economics

Christopher Neilson

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business; Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Seth D. Zimmerman

Yale University; University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Abstract

Do elite colleges help talented students join the social elite, or help incumbent elites retain their positions? We combine intergenerationally-linked data from Chile with a regression discontinuity design to show that, looking across generations, elite colleges do both. Lower-status individuals who gain admission to elite college programs transform their children's social environment. Children become more likely to attend high-status private schools and colleges, and to live near and befriend high-status peers. In contrast, academic achievement is unaffected. Simulations combining descriptive and quasi-experimental findings show that elite colleges tighten the link between social and human capital while decreasing intergenerational social mobility.

Keywords: elite universities, intergenerational mobility, human capital, social capital

JEL Classification: I24, D64, J62

Suggested Citation

Barrios Fernández, Andrés and Neilson, Christopher and Zimmerman, Seth D., Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital. IZA Discussion Paper No. 17252, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4944884 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4944884

Andrés Barrios Fernández (Contact Author)

London School of Economics ( email )

United Kingdom

Christopher Neilson

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

44 West 4th Street
Suite 9-160
New York, NY NY 10012
United States

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

Seth D. Zimmerman

Yale University ( email )

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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