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The Stability of the American Business Elite

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  • Peter Temin

Abstract

This paper begins the task of explaining why the American business elite has remained white, male and mostly native-born Protestants for a century, as verified in a previous paper (Temin, 1997). I argue that the evidence is inconsistent with the hypotheses that the stability is due to discrimination on the job or to principal-agent factors. The most likely explanation is that this demographic group makes the best business managers. I suggest that this in turn is not because they are inherently superior, but because they have had access to superior education, a result of past discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Temin, 1998. "The Stability of the American Business Elite," NBER Historical Working Papers 0110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberhi:0110
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    1. Clotfelter, Charles T. & Ehrenberg, Ronald G. & Getz, Malcolm & Siegfried, John J., 1992. "Economic Challenges in Higher Education," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226110509, September.
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    6. Alan S. Blinder, 1973. "Wage Discrimination: Reduced Form and Structural Estimates," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 8(4), pages 436-455.
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    2. Elise S. Brezis & Amir Rubin, 2024. "Will automation and robotics lead to more inequality?," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 92(3), pages 209-230, June.
    3. Elise S. Brezis & François Crouzet, 2004. "The Role of Higher Education Institutions: Recruitment of Elites and Economic Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 1360, CESifo.
    4. Weinstein, Russell, 2018. "Employer screening costs, recruiting strategies, and labor market outcomes: An equilibrium analysis of on-campus recruiting," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 282-299.
    5. Egon Franck & Christian Opitz, 2003. "Different higher education patterns of topmanagers in the U.S., France, and Germany. A signaling approach," Working Papers 0022, University of Zurich, Institute for Strategy and Business Economics (ISU).
    6. Robert Boyer, 2005. "From shareholder value to CEO power: The paradox of the 1990s," Working Papers halshs-00590848, HAL.
    7. Sarada, Sarada & Andrews, Michael J. & Ziebarth, Nicolas L., 2019. "Changes in the demographics of American inventors, 1870–1940," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).

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