The Matthew Effect: How Advantage Begets Further Advantage

by Daniel Rigney

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.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Economics

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Christophe Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. A mid-brow discussion of the Matthew effect (the rich get richer, the poor get poorer) in science, popular culture, education, and economics. The book describes various positive endogenous feedback loops that underlie the effect in these various realms of life.

Unfortunately, the exposition is all verbal and I do not recall seeing any quantification of the effect based on real life data, even though several of the empirical studies cited were quantitative. Another, be it minor, weakness is that in a few instances, the author's left leaning and liberal views, which he clearly states to his credit, muddle the exposition somewhat.

[Patrick Hurley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is solid, if unspectacular. It lays out the Matthew Effect and then applies it in numerous settings. The author concludes with a discussion of the morality of the effect and of inequality more generally, and then discusses potential interventions to alleviate the effect if it produces undesirable consequences.

The book was short and concise, and largely avoided feeling too repetitive even though it was repeating examples in difference spheres of life.

Read it if you’re interested in the concept.

[Meghna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole book discusses Matthew Effect (rich getting richer and poor getting poorer) in the field of politics, education, technology etc.

[Andrii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating phenomena! The more we as a society learn about it, raise awareness and discuss it, the more likely that much needed interventions occur.

It's a well-reaserched book and I've taken pages and pages of notes from the book and triggered internet searches, but I can see how people might find it dry or way too academical. It cries for more real-life examples especially when it comes to government efforts to counteract the destructive consequences of the Matthew Effect. Someone like Malcolm Gladwell could have probably turned this material into a fascinating storytelling through lots of case studies.

[Shelley Diemart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was aware of the Matthew effect in principle, but I was unaware of the sociological phenomena surrounding it. This book is interesting because it discusses how it works and it's various ripples socially, educationally, and economically. It is apparent that competition is important and as a sociological phenomenon we will never eliminate this effect, as it is naturally occurring in societies unless the structure of a society includes laws to counteract this effect; ultimately, there must be some neutralizing force to the Matthew effect, and arguing it doesn't exist is absurd. However, the approaches that we could take are vast and have varying implications on our society, so we must figure out how to hinder it in ways that benefit the majority and our society as a whole. The book left me with many questions and the desire to do more research, but I did give it 3.5-4 stars.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole book about the current significance of one bible passage: Matthew 13:12: "for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath."

You would expect this to be religious in tone, but it is in fact, a sociological tome. An interesting one at that! It basically explores all the ways the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Quick and easy to read, definitely not a dry textbook type of book.

I found it a little discouraging. Most of it talks about how any advantage or disadvantage you were born with tends to bring on more advantages or disadvantages, as the case may be.....

Would recommend!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable factual account that is really easy to digest granted it's my first Sociology read. Opened my eyes to many other underlying Sociology concepts as well!

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

An interesting topic that deserves a much less dry treatment.

[Jane]

It was too scholarly for me.