The Argument Should Race Matter in College Admissions?
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Apr 9, 2026 A lively debate over whether race-based college admissions help diversify professions or simply sort people by race. They clash over evidence about elite colleges’ impact on long-term mobility and representation. They dissect the Harvard case and alleged anti-Asian practices. They explore alternatives like economic preferences, top-percent plans, and upstream investments in education.
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Affirmative Action May Shift Credentials Not Outcomes
- Matthew Yglesias argues affirmative action often fails to produce large long-term benefits and can simply shift credential advantages down the pipeline (e.g., law/medical school LSAT/MCAT and bar/board filters).
- He cites law school mismatch and bar passage as examples where admissions boosting doesn't necessarily increase finished professionals, implying limited societal gains.
Representation Produces Tangible Public Benefits
- Jerusalem Demsas presents evidence that diverse representation yields concrete social benefits: black patients fare better with black doctors and black judges change panel behavior on discrimination cases.
- She references Raj Chetty, studies on physician specialty choices, and Indian reservation research linking female legislators to water infrastructure improvements.
Elite Admissions Signal Ability More Than Create Leaders
- Matthew questions the causal chain from elite college admission to societal leadership, suggesting elite positions are dominated by those with high standardized scores and network effects may be overstated.
- He argues admissions signals conscientiousness and ability but doubts manipulating admissions meaningfully changes who becomes doctors, lawyers, or managers.