The Matthew Effect: How Advantage Begets Further Advantage

Daniel Rigney

eISBN: 9780231520409

2010 (176 pages )

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Download 1. What Is the Matthew Effect?
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1. What Is the Matthew Effect? (pages 11-34)

Download 2. Matthew Effects in Science and Technology
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2. Matthew Effects in Science and Technology (pages 35-44)

Download 3. Matthew Effects in the Economy
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Download 4. Matthew Effects in Politics and Public Policy
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4. Matthew Effects in Politics and Public Policy (pages 63-84)

Download 5. Matthew Effects in Education and Culture
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5. Matthew Effects in Education and Culture (pages 85-96)

Download 6. Implications and Conclusions
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Download Appendix: Trends in Economic Inequality
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Appendix: Trends in Economic Inequality (pages 117-132)

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The Matthew Effect: How Advantage Begets Further Advantage

The old saying does often seem to hold true: the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, creating a widening gap between those who have more and those who have less. The sociologist Robert K. Merton called this phenomenon the Matthew effect, named after a passage in the gospel of Matthew. Yet the more closely we examine the sociological effects of this principle, the more complicated the idea becomes. Initial advantage doesn't always lead to further advantage, and disadvantage doesn't necessarily translate into failure. Does this theory need to be revisited?

Merton's arguments have significant implications for our conceptions of equality and justice, and they challenge our beliefs about culture, education, and public policy. His hypothesis has been examined across a variety of social arenas, including science, technology, politics, and schooling, to see if, in fact, advantage begets further advantage. Daniel Rigney is the first to evaluate Merton's theory of cumulative advantage extensively, considering both the conditions that uphold the Matthew effect and the circumstances that cause it to fail. He explores whether growing inequality is beyond human control or disparity is socially constructed and subject to change. Reexamining our core assumptions about society, Rigney causes us to rethink the sources of inequity.

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Table of Contents

The Matthew Effect: How Advantage Begets Further Advantage

Author(s): Rigney, Daniel
Abstract:

The old saying does often seem to hold true: the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, creating a widening gap between those who have more and those who have less. The sociologist Robert K. Merton called this phenomenon the Matthew effect, named after a passage in the gospel of Matthew. Yet the more closely we examine the sociological effects of this principle, the more complicated the idea becomes. Initial advantage doesn't always lead to further advantage, and disadvantage doesn't necessarily translate into failure. Does this theory need to be revisited?

Merton's arguments have significant implications for our conceptions of equality and justice, and they challenge our beliefs about culture, education, and public policy. His hypothesis has been examined across a variety of social arenas, including science, technology, politics, and schooling, to see if, in fact, advantage begets further advantage. Daniel Rigney is the first to evaluate Merton's theory of cumulative advantage extensively, considering both the conditions that uphold the Matthew effect and the circumstances that cause it to fail. He explores whether growing inequality is beyond human control or disparity is socially constructed and subject to change. Reexamining our core assumptions about society, Rigney causes us to rethink the sources of inequity.