Scott Alexander examines the strange dynamics of the academic job market, questioning why colleges prefer new PhDs for tenure-track positions and proposing potential explanations for this system. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the peculiarities of the academic job market, building on Bret Devereaux's analysis. He notes the split between well-paid tenure-track positions and poorly-paid adjunct positions, and questions why colleges prefer hiring new PhDs over experienced adjuncts for tenure-track roles. Scott proposes that colleges want both teaching and prestigious research, leading to a two-tier system. He speculates on reasons for preferring inexperienced hires and hiring from outside institutions. The post concludes by questioning why colleges don't hire everyone at a low level and then promote the most successful, and why there isn't more competition between colleges for established star professors. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the history of increasing competitiveness in college admissions, analyzing causes and questioning whether the focus on elite college admission is justified. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the history of college admissions and the increasing competitiveness in recent years. He traces the evolution from a time when top colleges admitted almost anyone qualified to the current highly competitive landscape. The post examines various factors contributing to this change, including increased applications per student, changing demographics, and shifts in evaluation criteria. Scott also investigates whether the intense focus on college admissions is justified, given research suggesting that attending a selective college may not significantly impact most students' long-term outcomes. Shorter summary

The post criticizes unnecessary college degree requirements in various professions and proposes an alternative to Bernie Sanders' free college tuition plan. Longer summary

This post critiques the current higher education system, particularly in the United States, by drawing parallels with a fictional tulip subsidy scenario. The author argues that requiring college degrees for many jobs is unnecessary, expensive, and harmful to society. He uses examples from medicine, teaching, and other professions to illustrate how degree requirements often don't correlate with job performance or outcomes. The post then criticizes Bernie Sanders' proposal for free college tuition, suggesting it would perpetuate a broken system. Instead, the author proposes making 'college degree' a protected characteristic in hiring practices to combat degree inflation. Shorter summary