arbiter
JournalsAccount

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

Russell Weinstein

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy2025https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20220174article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.52

Abstract

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)

7 citations

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20220174

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{russell2025,
  title        = {{The Great Recession and the Widening Income Gap between Alumni of Elite and Less Selective Universities}},
  author       = {Russell Weinstein},
  journal      = {American Economic Journal: Economic Policy},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20220174},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

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

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.52

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.47 × 0.4 = 0.19
M · momentum0.68 × 0.15 = 0.10
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.