Status Deference

I met Joel Baum at the Winter Strategy Conference in March 2016. We discussed an extension of the status spillovers paper that would consider the more dynamic nature of status.

Questions Prompted by the Conference, Irrespective of Data Availability

When a status shock arrives, what do neighbors subsequently do?

How would the expectations of @rescazoustua16 change with a more dynamic setting?

What this is getting at is the fact that in science, status is more cumulative than other contexts: barring an egregious transgression (e.g., falsifying data), scientists are probably seen as staying at least at the previous level in the hierarchy, if not climbing higher.

How would the possibility of status being rescinded change:

  • What stars do during stardom?
  • What neighbors do during stardom?

First, we need to consider the conditions conducive to endorsement. We found that endorsement dominates when the neighborhood is relatively underdeveloped/underfunded. I would take this to be there is system-oriented uncertainty about whether the present scientific endeavor is worthwhile. It is also a case of a limited network, likely: those engaged in the effort presently enjoy a higher attribution of having built the neighborhood than more established fields. It may even be the case that such fields are dominated by a controlling clique (this is something that we could examine empirically). In summary, it seems the condition for endorsement is when the duality of nodes and positions is high (check what the proper @brei74 reference is)–when it is hard to separate the work from the scientist. This is one contextual quality to consider.

Aside: Would high altercentric uncertainty contribute to endorsement? If all are suspect, then it would seem one standing out from the others would limit the benefits to stars.

Aside: Another aspect of the science setting is the notion of entry and exit from the neighborhood. When is one considered a member of a neighborhood? When do they leave?

When do scientists fall from grace?

When HHMI appointments are not immediately renewed, what does this mean for the focal scientist?

Can mutual forbearance explain what we observe in ss?

State of Status and Mutual Forbearance Research

In this section, I describe reactions from my reading of the papers Joel sent me and my search of related literature.

  • Are they really studying mutual forbearance, or (reluctance to engage in) risk-taking activity?

Where to Go from Here