Preprint of a new paper examining the material conditions that give rise to internationally recognized scientists just came out. The authors argue that if we were actually recognizing and nurturing scientific talent, we’d expect the family income distribution of Nobel laureates to be roughly normal (i.e. most Nobel winners would come from families with incomes around the 50th percentile). Their results very much do not bear this out: the average Nobel winner grew up in a household in the about the 90th percentile of income no matter where they grew up, with disproportionately large numbers coming from the 95th percentile and up. This strongly suggests that academic achievement, especially at the highest levels, is not a meritocracy, but rather limited by the material conditions of birth.

shocked-pikachu I know, but the size of the effect is really staggering.

Paper here

  • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    17·
    24 days ago

    roughly normal

    Roughly uniform you mean? Most people aren’t near the 50th percentile, there’s the same number of people in the 45th to 55th percentiles as the 0th to 10th and 90th to 100th.

    I know, but the size of the effect is really staggering.

    Honestly, not really. I think it’s less about wealth directly as it is about the overly particular academic path. I think there is high heritibility among professors because their kids get a much better idea of how to become a professor, and have a built-in network. There’s probably a similar trend with lawyers and doctors.

    • Philosoraptor [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
      16·
      24 days ago

      Yeah, that was sloppy, sorry. Here’s how they put it:

      In a world where access to opportunity is equal and outlier talent is randomly assigned, the average Nobel laureate would have a socioeconomic rank of 50.

      You’re right that that’s not the same thing as a normal distribution on this diagram.

      I think it’s less about wealth directly as it is about the overly particular academic path. I think there is high heritibility among professors because their kids get a much better idea of how to become a professor, and have a built-in network.

      The paper also tracks education rank and parent occupation; income is way more significant than anything else. In fact, the most common parental occupation for Nobel parents is “business owner.” I’m sure the effect you’re talking about isn’t insignificant, but it seems to be dominated by the effect of wealth, at least according to this paper.

    • BodyBySisyphus [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      8·
      24 days ago

      have a built-in network

      This! Simply knowing how to network and having the right peer group are such big factors on how a career in academia goes (or doesn’t go).

    • Adlach@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      3·
      23 days ago

      I think it’s less about wealth directly as it is about the overly particular academic path. I think there is high heritibility among professors because their kids get a much better idea of how to become a professor, and have a built-in network.

      Professors are nowhere near the 95th percentile in income. If this were the case, you would expect to see a spike around the 75-85 range, not at 95.