Unequal Colleges in the Age of Disparity

Synopsis

It Is Commonly Supposed That Colleges Help To Reduce Inequality By Providing Paths For Individuals To Rise Beyond Modest Origins. Reviewing Evidence From More Than 1,000 Colleges, Elite And Not, The Author Argues That Baccalaureate Education's Power To Reduce Inequality Has Actually Declined, Because The Colleges Themselves Have Become More Unequal. Unequal Colleges In The Age Of Disparity Describes The Market For Baccalaureate Education Over The Last Four Decades, Paying Attention To Both The Demand Side And Supply Side Of The Market. It Is An Historical Analysis Of A Large And Variegated Industry, Described In Terms - Such As Firm, Consumer, And Market Power - Rarely Applied To It, That Explain This Increasing Inequality.-- Part I: Context -- 1. Unequal Colleges -- 2. System, Industry, Or Crazy Quilt? -- 3. Snapshot, Circa 1970 -- 4. Outside Forces -- Part Ii. Supply -- 5. The Inequality Dividend -- 6. Zero-sum Competition -- 7. Evolution In The Core Business -- Part Iii. Demand -- 8. Scholastic Segregation -- 9. Economic Stratification -- 10. Sorting By Seriousness -- 11. Sorting By Belief? -- Part Iv. Consequences -- 12. Outcomes -- 13. Why It Matters -- Appendix: Table A.1 Shares By College Category Of Total Undergraduate Enrollment In 1,157 Four-year Institutions -- Table A.2 The Dwindling Share Of Places At Elite Colleges -- Notes. Charles T. Clotfelter. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.