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
National Poll from Civitas Institute: Americans Concerned About AI, Economic Issues
The Civitas Institute Poll, conducted from March 11-20, 2025, asked 1,200 Americans an array of questions about how things are going in the country.
Exodus: Affordability Crisis Sends Americans Packing From Big Cities
The first in a two-part series about the Great Dispersion of Americans across the country.
Stanford’s Graduate Student Union Tries to Stifle Dissent
The university may fire me because I won’t pay dues to a labor organization whose views I find repugnant.
