Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital

Andres Barrios-Fernández, Christopher Neilson and Seth Zimmerman

American Economic Review, 2026, vol. 116, issue 6, 2120-65

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.

JEL-codes: I23 I26 J24 J62 O15 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Related works:
Working Paper: Elite universities and the intergenerational transmission of human and social capital (2024)
Working Paper: Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital (2024)
Working Paper: Elite universities and the intergenerational transmission of human and social capital (2024)
Working Paper: Elite Universities and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human and Social Capital (2024)
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DOI: 10.1257/aer.20230802

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