3 ms·

You don't think so? That is the implication I got from the tone of the article and the handful of examples given. I heard Clare Malone on NPR talking about the

by selmnoo 13y ago

You don't think so? That is the implication I got from the tone of the article and the handful of examples given. I heard Clare Malone on NPR talking about the article she wrote, and if I recall correctly she actually used the word "commonplace" to describe the nepotism going on. We all know how many people get jobs because of connections... the privileged among us just take it for granted -- indeed because it so unremarkable we often just forget how we got there or don't think much of it (I'll confess that I initially got a well-paying job (that I was entirely unqualified for) purely because of family connections). Just think how many of these backroom "hey instead of paying me $2000 for my campaign, hire my daughter who's having trouble finding employment" dealings there are that go unreported and are never found out. I'd say it absolutely is commonplace.

rayiner 13y ago
The plural of anecdote isn't "data."
- selmnoo 13y ago
  But ahh, as I found out on HN the other day, it actually is: http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2011/04/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-data-after-all.html http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2011/04/the-plural-of-an... ;) Seriously though, after working at a prestigious institution and seeing how often lunch and dinner conversations between peers involved talk of how "my daughter can work in your group!" and "your son can work in my group!", my intuition tells me this is just the way it is - nepotism is pretty much everywhere. Sure, more anecdotes, but that's all I got until someone does some solid research on it. For now here're two more articles, that may have some more information: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/31/are-we-becoming-more-tolerant-of-nepotism/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/3... http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/in-praise-of-nepotism/302753/ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/in-prais...
- coldtea 13y ago
  Actually it is. An anecdote is an observation. And data is just a larger set of observations. There's no requirement that data must be exhaustive. And in most social science research, it never is (actually that is frequently the case in hard sciences, too).
  - dTal 13y ago
    The issue is that anecdotes come with a whopping big side of selection bias. Sure, it's technically "information", but calling it "data" implies rigor. There are a lot of alien abduction anecdotes, but this tells you more about humans than it does about aliens.
twoodfin 13y ago
We all know how many people get jobs because of connections... No, I don't think we all know this. Most of the people I know did not get jobs through family connections. I suspect a trend analysis would show that the number of high-income workers who achieved their position through nepotism or some other form of non-achievement-based social connection is declining, not rising. We're social animals, and "connections" will always be valuable. I don't see any evidence that D.E. Shaw treated Wyden's son differently because they wanted something out of his father.
- rayiner 13y ago
  Ron Wyden is a Stanford graduate. His son Adam is a graduate of Wharton undergrad and Columbia business school. Plenty of people similarly situated get a DE Shaw internship who don't have a senator for a father. I'm sure the name didn't hurt, but what kind of favor can be cashed in offering someone's son an internship he's qualified for anyway?
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
    - rayiner 13y ago
      Like I said, I'm sure the name helped. But lots of Wharton undergrads get internships with DE Shaw or similar firms over the summer. Firms like DE Shaw hire dozens of interns each summer. They use their summer programs to meet their entry level hiring needs.
  - judk 13y ago
    Of course, his Wharton admission was not independent of family status. It can benhard to separate government corruption from general privilege, though.

by selmnoo 13y ago

rayiner 13y ago

The plural of anecdote isn't "data."

selmnoo 13y ago
But ahh, as I found out on HN the other day, it actually is: http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2011/04/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-data-after-all.html http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2011/04/the-plural-of-an... ;) Seriously though, after working at a prestigious institution and seeing how often lunch and dinner conversations between peers involved talk of how "my daughter can work in your group!" and "your son can work in my group!", my intuition tells me this is just the way it is - nepotism is pretty much everywhere. Sure, more anecdotes, but that's all I got until someone does some solid research on it. For now here're two more articles, that may have some more information: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/31/are-we-becoming-more-tolerant-of-nepotism/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/3... http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/in-praise-of-nepotism/302753/ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/in-prais...
coldtea 13y ago
Actually it is. An anecdote is an observation. And data is just a larger set of observations. There's no requirement that data must be exhaustive. And in most social science research, it never is (actually that is frequently the case in hard sciences, too).
- dTal 13y ago
  The issue is that anecdotes come with a whopping big side of selection bias. Sure, it's technically "information", but calling it "data" implies rigor. There are a lot of alien abduction anecdotes, but this tells you more about humans than it does about aliens.

twoodfin 13y ago

We all know how many people get jobs because of connections... No, I don't think we all know this. Most of the people I know did not get jobs through family connections. I suspect a trend analysis would show that the number of high-income workers who achieved their position through nepotism or some other form of non-achievement-based social connection is declining, not rising. We're social animals, and "connections" will always be valuable. I don't see any evidence that D.E. Shaw treated Wyden's son differently because they wanted something out of his father.

rayiner 13y ago
Ron Wyden is a Stanford graduate. His son Adam is a graduate of Wharton undergrad and Columbia business school. Plenty of people similarly situated get a DE Shaw internship who don't have a senator for a father. I'm sure the name didn't hurt, but what kind of favor can be cashed in offering someone's son an internship he's qualified for anyway?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
  - rayiner 13y ago
    Like I said, I'm sure the name helped. But lots of Wharton undergrads get internships with DE Shaw or similar firms over the summer. Firms like DE Shaw hire dozens of interns each summer. They use their summer programs to meet their entry level hiring needs.
- judk 13y ago
  Of course, his Wharton admission was not independent of family status. It can benhard to separate government corruption from general privilege, though.