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Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital
(Forthcoming Article) - 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.
