Brains Versus Brawn: Ordinal Rank Effects in Job Training
Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
Using data from Air Force basic military training, Civitas Senior Fellow Scott Carrell and Alexander Chesney examine the impacts of relative rank in cognitive and physical ability on enlistees short and longer-run outcomes. Results show strong evidence for the “big fish, small pond” phenomenon, meaning that individuals of equal ability tend to thrive when they are higher on the proverbial pecking order of ability within their assigned group. Findings also suggest that overall group productivity could be improved by altering the way military personnel are assigned to training groups.
Read the Full Paper
This paper was originally published by the Journal of Public Economics.
Pursuit of Happiness
Faculty Viewpoint Diversity: An Instant Fix
To gain the trust of wary faculty, presidents need not only to set out a firm and precise understanding of the campus environment they would like to foster, but also to back up those words with consistent and determined action.
Bad News for America Doomers
Prophecies of America’s downfall conflate the United States, a people and place, with the US government.
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Vergil: Poet Laureate of the American Founding
Vergil was a favorite of the founding generation: the source of poignant lessons, powerful language, and political inspiration.
