“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”, the saying goes. And there’s actually a name for that phenomenon: the Matthew Effect. The term was first coined by sociologists Robert K. Merton and Harriet Zuckerman in 1968, in relation to how “already eminent scientists were given disproportionate credit in cases of collaboration or of independent multiple discoveries.”

In other words, if a group of scientists made a discovery together, with equal input, the most famous one would tend to get the most credit. Unfair, right? But sadly true! The Matthew Effect was not limited to scientific citations. Other researchers found that it also applied to wealth and status in society.

Where does the Matthew part come from? How do rich people get richer? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 10/5/2023

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