Affirmative Action — For The Rich
The gate on Harvard Yard at the Harvard University campus. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions. But critics say that legacy admission policies at elite, private schools like Harvard amount to affirmative action for rich students. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption
The gate on Harvard Yard at the Harvard University campus. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions. But critics say that legacy admission policies at elite, private schools like Harvard amount to affirmative action for rich students. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Scott Eisen/Getty ImagesThe Supreme Court may have ended race-conscious admissions in higher education. But the end of affirmative action seems to have added fuel to another contentious debate around college admissions policies.
For decades, many elite, private institutions have given prospective college students preference if a relative attended the school or, in some cases, when a major donor was involved.
While the practice of affirmative action is dead, legacy admissions continue. But more and more critics of the practice are calling on schools to do away with them, including President Biden.
Host Juana Summers speaks with economist John Friedman, a professor and chair of economics at Brown University. He co-authored a study that quantifies the lasting socio-economic disparities between legacy students and their less affluent peers.
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