Political bias
A new working paper, “The Politics of Academic Research,” by Matthew Ringgenberg, Chong Shu, Ingrid M. Werner, introduces a methodology to gauge the political leanings of academic research within the social sciences in the United States. Some of their findings include:
- The political slant of researcher output is related to the ideological slant of the institution where the researcher obtained their Ph.D., controlling for gender and other factors
- Women are more likely to be cited by a left-leaning think tank than research conducted by men: liberal think tanks cite male authors 7% less often than female authors.
- Economics and political science research leans left, while finance and accounting research leans right.
[T]here appears to be an echo chamber effect in social science research: left-leaning politicians cite left-leaning think tanks who cite left-leaning scholars who support left-leaning politicians, and right-leaning politicians cite right-leaning think tanks who cite right-leaning scholars who support right-leaning politicians.
Is Social Science Research Politically Biased?
By: Matthew Ringgenberg, Chong Shu, Ingrid M. Werner – University of Utah, Ohio State University
Corporate funding bias
Corporations have a long history of influencing the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge — often without clearly biasing the results of the studies. Yet, argue Strohminger and Táíwò, if one looks closely this corporate funding diverts research away from issues that might be damaging to these corporation. They cite the example of the so-called carbon footprint calculator, introduced by BP in 2002 as part of the company’s experimental rebranding (Beyond Petroleum). This calculator allowed consumers to measure their personal carbon emissions. It also, conveniently, reframed the climate problem as one determined by individual responsibility (e.g., biking to work instead of driving), rather than one that can be resolved only through large-scale policy change (e.g., regulating industrial carbon emissions). Research on nudges, like the carbon footprint calculator, could be completely unbiased in the sense that it provides true answers. But it also causes scientists to effectively ignore the most powerful solutions to the problems they focus on.
If scientists and the public good are to control the agenda of scientific research, that will require redistributing the resources and decision-making power that reside with large granting institutions and private funders. Researchers now work on problems that allow them to successfully apply for grants representing the granters’ priorities — but not necessarily those of the scientific or broader community.
When Social Scientists ask the Wrong Questions
By: Nina Strohminger, Olúfémi Táíwò – University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Georgetown University
