Ranking Law Schools: A Market Test?

11 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2005

See all articles by Cass R. Sunstein

Cass R. Sunstein

Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Date Written: November 2004

Abstract

Instead of ranking law schools through statistical aggregations of expert judgments, or by combining a list of heterogeneous factors, it would be possible to rely on a market test, simply by examining student choices. This tournament-type approach would have the large advantage of relying on the widely dispersed information that students actually have; it would also reduce reliance on factors that can be manipulated (and whose manipulation does no good other than to increase rankings). On the other hand, a market test has several problems as a measure of law school quality, partly because cognitive biases and social influences may lead some or many students to make bad choices and thus to participate in the production of inaccurate rankings.

Suggested Citation

Sunstein, Cass R., Ranking Law Schools: A Market Test? (November 2004). U Chicago Law & Economics, Olin Working Paper No. 254; U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 99; Indiana U School of Law Symposium Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=703282 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.703282

Cass R. Sunstein (Contact Author)

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Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

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