Should PUBLIC univs redistribute tuition revenue to fund FA for low income students?

[Beliavsky]

<p>

@ucbalumnus

The whole reason for having public universities at all is that everyone (including those who do not go to college) benefits as well when more people (30% BA/BS rather than 10% BA/BS as it was before the GI Bill and the 1950s-1970s growth in public universities) in the state are educated, generating more economic activity (i.e. the educated can do more productive jobs, resulting in their spending more, which creates more jobs for everyone else).

</p>

<p>College graduates earn more than high school graduates, but I have seen studies finding that a substantial fraction is due to personal qualities in college graduates (higher average intelligence and discipline) that colleges did not create. There may be a large payoff for an individual to graduate from college, but the benefit to society may be smaller if college graduates earn more largely because of signalling.</p>

<p>An NYT story says that an [Academic</a> ‘Dream Team’ Helped Obama’s Effort](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/health/dream-team-of-behavioral-scientists-advised-obama-campaign.html]Academic”>‘Dream Team’ of Behavioral Scientists Advised Obama Campaign - The New York Times) . In California the public universities successfully lobbied to raise the top marginal state income tax rate to 13.3%. I could cite many other examples of academia’s leftward tilt. The 48% of the country that votes Republican may not favor the political contribution to the Democrats that funding for higher education effectively entails.</p>