The George Washington University
University Seminar on Reflexive Systems
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
Duques Hall, Room 652
2201 G Street NW
THE MATTHEW EFFECT AS A REFLEXIVE SYSTEM
Yaroslav Prytula
Ivan Franko National University of L'viv, Ukraine
The Matthew effect (or accumulated advantages) is a term first coined by sociologist Robert K. Merton in 1968 to describe the phenomenon when “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. The term was derived from Saint Matthew’s Gospel (25:29): “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” The Matthew effect is considered as a special case of reflexivity. The presentation will outline some examples of the Matthew effect in education and research, economics and finance, sports and life in general. The emphasis will be on what may enhance or circumscribe the Matthew effect.
Dr. Yaroslav Prytula is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Economic Analysis and Finance and a Vice-dean of the Faculty of International Relations at Lviv Ivan Franko National University (LIFNU), Ukraine. He also teaches at Lviv Business School of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
His scholarly interests are in macroeconomic modeling, quantitative methods in social science and higher education in transitional societies. During 2001 he spent a semester in The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs under a William and Helen Petrach scholarship and continued his research during 2003-04 in The George Washington University Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning under the U.S. Department of State 's Junior Faculty Development Program. During 2004-07 he was a fellow of the Open Society Institute 's Academic Fellowship Program. During 2007-09 Yaroslav was a fellow of the Global Policy Fellowship Program of the Institute for Higher Education Policy (Washington, DC).
Dr. Prytula was awarded his PhD in Complex Analysis from Lviv Ivan Franko National University in 2000. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of LIFNU. Currently Dr. Prytula is a visiting scholar at the George Mason University under the University Administration Support Program funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).