Higher-status people receive more credit for identical work

Evidence

High status also means more attention and rewards for doing the same work as lower-status individuals. “The man of rank and distinction,” notes the economist Adam Smith, “is observed by all the world… . Scarce a word, scarce a gesture, can fall from him that is altogether neglected.” In his research, the economic sociologist Joel M. Podolny saw this very principle play out: “Higher-status actors obtain greater recognition and rewards for performing a given task at a given level of quality and lower-status actors receive correspondingly less.” And so famous scientists secure research grants more easily than nonfamous ones, and when collaborating on research papers, they receive the bulk of credit, even with minimal contributions. This attention also gives them more influence on group behavior. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 68

Categorization

• SEED: Podolny’s ‘same quality, more reward’ effect on fame could anchor an essay on how the modern celebrity grant economy widens inequality in scientific credit.
• XREF: connects to: Higher status people receive more help, compliments, and favorable treatment — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 67; People overclaim credit for joint work because their own actions are most salient — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2577; Trusted persons enjoy credit that absorbs unfavourable experiences up to a threshold (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• High-status choices carry an alibi of being exemplary regardless of actual merit #expands (0.88) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 171
• People overclaim credit for joint work because their own actions are most salient #expands (0.82) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2577
• Credit creation directly and proportionally drives changes in people’s incomes #complicates (0.75) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1690
• Lower-status work faces far more surveillance than higher-status work #corroborates (0.74) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 581
• Trusted persons enjoy credit that absorbs unfavourable experiences up to a threshold #exemplifies (0.72)