Scientific Definition
Employers screen by school name, rewarding admission rather than developed skill.
Plain-English Definition
Employers screen by school name, rewarding admission rather than developed skill.
Feynman Explanation
We hire the gatekeeper's decision, not the candidate's growth.
Core Principle
Employers screen by school name, rewarding admission rather than developed skill.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Employers screen by school name, rewarding admission rather than developed skill.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Credential filters constrain mobility and skill development.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
We hire the gatekeeper's decision, not the candidate's growth.
Examples
- Top-firm recruiting concentrated at <20 schools.
- Credential filters constrain mobility and skill development.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Skills-based hiring. Structured interviews. Work samples.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Skills-based hiring. Structured interviews. Work samples.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Schools optimize for ranking inputs (selectivity, spending) instead of student outcomes.
Tenure-track jobs replaced by low-paid adjuncts, lowering cost and quality.
Seat-time accountability rewards presence over engagement.
Tying institutional survival to graduate salaries forces schools to drop social-service programs.
Grade-driven admissions reward strategic course-picking over intellectual risk.
Professors rewarded by student evaluations have an incentive to inflate.
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
More homework signals rigor to parents but often produces burnout, not understanding.
Grant cycles favor safe, incremental work over high-risk breakthroughs.
Universities optimize for ranking metrics rather than education quality.
A single test format constrains pedagogy and disadvantages diverse learners.
Easy federal lending lets colleges raise tuition without market discipline.