Toward a Political-Organizational Model of Gatekeeping: The Case of Elite Colleges

This article develops a theory of gatekeeping in the context of a case study of admission to an elite college-Harvard College. By focusing on the political and organizational context within which gatekeeping takes place, it shows how meritocratic and class-based factors each play roles in the decision-making process. The article demonstrates how attention to the organization and its field yields critical information about the microprocesses that govern the selection of individuals and the outcomes that contribute to our stratification order. It is suggested that the model of gatekeeping that is developed will be applicable to selection processes in other organizations.