By Topic

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statements: A) The admission of children of alumni and donors at elite private colleges and universities crowds out applicants with greater academic potential. B) The net effect of admitting children of alumni and donors (including any impact on donations and any losses of other high potential applicants) is likely to be a reduction in the contribution of colleges and universities to society. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statement: If the NCAA let colleges pay athletes with more than scholarships (which currently may cover tuition, books, room and board), then top colleges in men’s basketball and football would pay most athletes substantial sums beyond full scholarships. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement: An important reason why private college and university tuition has risen faster than the CPI during the past few decades is because competition for faculty members — whose potential earnings in other sectors have steadily improved — has driven up their pay faster than their productivity. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statement: Using government funds to guarantee preschool education for four-year olds would yield a much lower social return than the ones achieved by the most highly touted targeted preschool initiatives. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel poll statement: Public school students would receive a higher quality education if they all had the option of taking the government money (local, state, federal) currently being spent on their own education and turning that money into vouchers that they could use towards covering the costs of any private school or public school of their choice (e.g. charter schools). 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements: A) With the economy in lockdown, low-income workers who are above the poverty line will suffer a relatively bigger hit to their incomes than those further up the distribution (even accounting for all government support schemes). B) With the economy in lockdown, existing gaps in access to quality education between high- and low-income households will be exacerbated. C) The mortality impact of Covid-19 is likely to fall disproportionately on disadvantaged socio-economic groups. 

This week’s IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements: A) Even with the support policies implemented by European governments in response to the crisis, low-income workers will suffer a relatively bigger hit to their incomes than those further up the distribution. B) With schools across Europe closed in the lockdown, existing gaps in access to quality education between high- and low-income households will be exacerbated. C) Combating the effects of the pandemic on inequality should be a priority for policy interventions. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel poll statements: A) If public school students had the option of taking the government money (local, state, federal) currently being spent on their own education and turning that money into vouchers that they could use towards covering the costs of any private school or public school of their choice (e.g. charter schools), most would be better off. B) The main drawback to allowing all public school students to take the government money (local, state, federal) currently being spent on their own education and turning that money into vouchers that they could use towards covering the costs of any private school or public school of their choice (e.g. charter schools) would be that some students would not make an active choice and would be left with much worse peers and a weaker school. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement: Comparing their students’ average gains on standardized tests over the school year makes it easier to predict which teachers — all else equal — are more likely to improve their student’s long-term life outcomes.