Stratification in Countries with Flatter (Institutional) Hierarchies? Insights from Administrative Data in Canada
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| Title: | Stratification in Countries with Flatter (Institutional) Hierarchies? Insights from Administrative Data in Canada |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | David Zarifa (ORCID |
| Source: | Sociology of Education. 2025 98(3):223-250. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Vertical Organization, Access to Education, Universities, Selective Admission, Family Income, Advantaged, Equal Education, College Students, College Attendance, Education Work Relationship, College Graduates, Income |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00380407241311551 |
| ISSN: | 0038-0407 1939-8573 |
| Abstract: | Researchers have repeatedly found that within modern higher education systems, students from wealthier backgrounds tend to be concentrated in the most advantageous sectors. Dubbed "effectively maintained inequality," this process allows these groups to maintain a competitive advantage in the labor market by virtue of acquiring more elite credentials. But what happens in nations with flatter university hierarchies, where there is relatively modest vertical differentiation in the brand strength of domestic universities? Through this study, we provide the first national-level analysis of the relationship between parental income and access to more selective, better resourced, and higher ranking Canadian universities. We also assess the extent to which there is an earnings premium associated with attending these more elite institutions. Our results suggest there are few differences in the types of universities attended by Canadians from different economic strata. Moreover, any earnings premium associated with attending a more elite Canadian university disappears once we account for basic demographic and field of study controls. We theorize that Canadian universities' flatter institutional hierarchy drives wealthy families to seek advantages through enrollment in elite majors (e.g., business, engineering) and other tactics that take place outside the higher education system. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1475741 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Researchers have repeatedly found that within modern higher education systems, students from wealthier backgrounds tend to be concentrated in the most advantageous sectors. Dubbed "effectively maintained inequality," this process allows these groups to maintain a competitive advantage in the labor market by virtue of acquiring more elite credentials. But what happens in nations with flatter university hierarchies, where there is relatively modest vertical differentiation in the brand strength of domestic universities? Through this study, we provide the first national-level analysis of the relationship between parental income and access to more selective, better resourced, and higher ranking Canadian universities. We also assess the extent to which there is an earnings premium associated with attending these more elite institutions. Our results suggest there are few differences in the types of universities attended by Canadians from different economic strata. Moreover, any earnings premium associated with attending a more elite Canadian university disappears once we account for basic demographic and field of study controls. We theorize that Canadian universities' flatter institutional hierarchy drives wealthy families to seek advantages through enrollment in elite majors (e.g., business, engineering) and other tactics that take place outside the higher education system. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0038-0407 1939-8573 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00380407241311551 |
