Status transmission theory argues that leading educational institutions prepare individuals from privileged backgrounds for positions of prestige and power in their societies. We examine the educational backgrounds of more than 2,900 members of the U.S. cultural elite and compare these backgrounds to a sample of nearly 4,000 business and political leaders. We find that the leading U.S. educational institutions are substantially more important for preparing future members of the cultural elite than they are for preparing future members of the business or political elite. In addition, members of the cultural elite who are recognized for outstanding achievements by peers and experts are much more likely to have obtained degrees from the leading educational institutions than are those who achieve acclaim from popular audiences. By focusing on the extent to which industries and cultural domains depend on quickness and facility in the absorption and manipulation of complex and sophisticated symbolic media, our analysis leads to an important specification of the role of highly selective colleges and universities in elite formation.

中文翻译：

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常春藤很重要：美国文化精英的教育背景

地位传递理论认为，领先的教育机构应为有特权背景的人做好在社会中享有声望和权力地位的准备。我们检查了超过2,900名美国文化精英成员的教育背景，并将这些背景与将近4,000名商业和政治领导人进行了比较。我们发现，领先的美国教育机构在培养未来的文化精英成员方面比在培养未来的商业或政治精英成员方面更为重要。此外，被同行和专家所认可的杰出成就的文化精英成员比那些受到大众欢迎的人更可能从领先的教育机构获得学位。