Working Paper: NBER ID: w18625
Authors: Pierre Azoulay; Toby Stuart; Yanbo Wang
Abstract: In a market context, a status effect occurs when actors are accorded differential recognition for their efforts depending on their location in a status ordering, holding constant the quality of these efforts. In practice, because it is very difficult to measure quality, this ceteris paribus proviso often precludes convincing empirical assessments of the magnitude of status effects. We address this problem by examining the impact of a major status-conferring prize that shifts actors' positions in a prestige ordering. Specifically, using a precisely constructed matched sample, we estimate the effect of a scientist becoming a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator (HHMI) on citations to articles the scientist published before the prize was awarded. We do find evidence of a post-appointment citation boost, but the effect is small and limited to a short window of time. Consistent with theories of status, however, the effect of the prize is significantly larger when there is uncertainty about article quality, and when prize-winners are of (relatively) low status at the time of election to HHMI.
Keywords: status effects; scientific recognition; Matthew effect
JEL Codes: O31; O33
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Winning the HHMI award (I29) | Citation boost for articles published prior to the award (A14) |
| Citation boost for articles published prior to the award (A14) | Altered perceptions of quality (L15) |
| Winning the HHMI award (I29) | Citation boost is larger for articles published in lower-impact journals (A14) |
| Initial lower status of scientists (D73) | Larger citation boost after winning the HHMI award (A14) |
| Winning the HHMI award (I29) | Citation boost diminishes over time (A14) |
| Citation increase for articles published shortly before the award (A14) | Temporal aspect of status influence (C41) |