Checks and Balance: University challenge

Amid the lockdown some American students have filed lawsuits to get refunds on their tuition fees. Shifting classes online has rekindled concerns about the high cost of college education. Last year an FBI investigation exposed wealthy parents paying to cheat elite university admissions. The perception that university is no longer a driver of social mobility - but the opposite - fuels the political divide. How true is that? In this episode US policy correspondent Idrees Kahloon reports on a scheme that helps poor students complete college, we unpick the complicated history of American meritocracy, and hear from the frontline of the admissions process. John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, hosts with Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief, and Washington correspondent Jon Fasman. Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus. For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.   

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Om Podcasten

Checks and Balance unlocks American politics by taking a big theme each week and digging into the data, the ideas, and the history shaping the country.Join John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard, Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman as they talk to politicians, pollsters, academics and people across the country about the great experiment of American democracy. Published every Friday.If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page here https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts.