Sept. 15, 2026, 13:30-15:00
Location: Ångström laboratory, room 106157 (Map)
Registration: Link (please register by September 13)
Speaker: Jacob Habinek, Linköping University
Title: The Matthew Effect Revisited: Evidence from the Awarding of Nobel Prizes
Abstract: The Nobel Prize stands above all other awards in science in terms of both intellectual prestige and public recognition. For the sociologist Robert K. Merton (1968), the Nobel Prizes were illustrative of what he termed “the Matthew Effect,” a general tendency towards prior success bringing with it a disproportionate share of later rewards. Yet the actual dynamics of recognition within elite scientific and cultural circles remain poorly understood. Using newly available data sources and computational methods, this presentation aims to disentangle the social mechanisms behind the awarding of the Nobel Prizes across each stage of the decision-making process. The results reveal persistent disagreements about the relative worth of prior recognition, different specialties, and personal recommendations, particularly across different groups of evaluators. The findings carry implications for debates about prizes, prestige, and scholarly values.
Bio: Jacob Habinek is Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute for Analytical Sociology at Linköping University, Sweden. His research examines the development of science and literature over long periods of time, as well as the circulation of knowledge in contemporary social science. He is also active in the development of computational social science and is the founding director of the Swedish Interdisciplinary Research School in Computational Social Science (SIRCSS).