College Education Is Not a Public Good

George Leef

In a recent column, University of Chicago professor Luigi Zingales argued that we'd be better off if government stopped subsidizing higher education and we moved toward a system whereby students pay for it out of their future earnings -- the human capital contract idea. His column drew a reply from Richard Kahlenberg, who was upset at the idea that higher education is a private good. He says it's a public good that we all benefit from, so society should subsidize it. That dispute is the backdrop for my Clarion Call this week. I side with Zingales. We will get the optimal level of both education and training if we leave it up to the self-interest of individuals. Conversely, if government gets involved, we will have great waste of time and money with no gain in education. Subsidizing higher education simply diverts resources away from more beneficial uses.

 

 

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

  • Share

Most Commented

January 8, 2025

1.

NAS Condemns the AHA's “Scholasticide” Resolution

The National Association of Scholars condemns the “Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza,” which the members of the American Historical Association passed by 428 t......

February 24, 2025

2.

NAS Applauds the American Bar Association's Suspension of DEI Rules

The American Bar Association must now move beyond suspending the enforcement of its misbegotten rules to the elimination of the rules themselves....

January 27, 2025

3.

Exclusive Documents: UC-Boulder Breaks Civil Rights Law to Advance Racial Preferences

New FOIA documents grant a window into how the University of Colorado-Boulder, in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, discriminates on the basis of protected class and upholds a co......

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

May 26, 2010

3.

10 Reasons Not to Go to College

A sampling of arguments for the idea that college may not be for everyone....