Matthew: Effect or Fable?
Name
Azoulay_Matthew effect.pdf
Size
695.44 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b62f7de974537b2e7bf32e26ab94fa2f
Author(s)
Azoulay, Pierre
Stuart, Toby
Wang, Yanbo
Date Issued
January 2014
Journal
Management Science
Publisher
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
Citation
Azoulay, Pierre, Toby Stuart, and Yanbo Wang. “Matthew: Effect or Fable?” Management Science 60, no. 1 (January 2014): 92–109.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
In a market context, a status effect occurs when actors are accorded differential recognition for their efforts depending on their location in a status ordering, holding constant the quality of these efforts. In practice, because it is very difficult to measure quality, this ceteris paribus proviso often precludes convincing empirical assessments of the magnitude of status effects. We address this problem by examining the impact of a major status-conferring prize that shifts actors' positions in a prestige ordering. Specifically, using a precisely constructed matched sample, we estimate the effect of a scientist becoming a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator on citations to articles the scientist published before the prize was awarded. We do find evidence of a postappointment citation boost, but the effect is small and limited to a short window of time. Consistent with theories of status, however, the effect of the prize is significantly larger when there is uncertainty about article quality, and when prize winners are of (relatively) low status at the time of election to the HHMI Investigator Program.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2013.1755
