Are Elites Meritocratic and Efficiency-Seeking? Evidence from MBA Students Authors: Marcel Preuss, Germán Reyes, Jason Somerville, Joy Wu arXiv ID: 2503.15443 [econ.GN] Submitted: 19 Mar 2025 (v1), Revised: 20 Sep 2025 (v4) DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2503.15443 JEL Codes: D63, C91, H23 --- Abstract This study explores the fairness and efficiency preferences of economic elites, focusing on future elites represented by Ivy League MBA students. Key findings include: MBA students distribute earnings more unequally than the average American population, regardless of whether the source of inequality is luck or merit. Their redistributive preferences show a strong sensitivity to efficiency costs, with effects notably larger than those observed in U.S. representative samples. MBA students are less likely to adhere strictly to meritocratic ideals compared to the broader population. The findings offer new insights into how elite preferences in redistribution may contribute to maintaining high levels of inequality in the U.S. --- Key Points Study Group: Ivy League MBA students, considered as future economic elites. Methodology: Incentivized laboratory experiment examining redistributive choices. Redistribution Patterns: More unequal earnings allocation compared to general U.S. samples. Fairness Ideals: Less strict meritocratic views than the general populace. Efficiency Sensitivity: High responsiveness to efficiency trade-offs in redistribution. --- Access & Additional Information Full Text & Formats: PDF, TeX source, other formats available at arXiv link License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Related Tools: Bibliographic and citation tools, code and data integration (via arXivLabs), and recommendation services are offered for in-depth exploration. Contact & Support: arXiv provides support acknowledgments to Simons Foundation and member institutions and options to donate. --- This research contributes to understanding the role of elites’ economic preferences in shaping redistribution policies and, by extension, societal inequality.