Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? (Update)
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What are the recent scandals in academia?
Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner. Over the holidays, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite series from this past year about a set of research scandals that have rocked the academic world. When we first played these episodes, we heard from a lot of listeners, including one who teaches AP research at a high school in Frisco, Texas. He made a crossword puzzle for his students based on our series. Here's one clue. 39 across, five letters. The active fabrication of data is called... I'll give you a hint. The title of the episode you're about to hear is Why is there so much fraud in academia? We have updated facts and figures where necessary. Next week in part two, we will have an update from one of the fraud fighters. As always, thanks for listening.
A couple of years ago, Francesca Gino was, there's really no other way of putting it. She was a superstar, an academic superstar, at least.
Who is Francesca Gino and why is she controversial?
She was at the center of everything. Being a prestigious faculty member at Harvard and all of her public speaking and her books. Her reputation was perfect. She was synonymous with the highest levels of research in organizational behavior. She's just a giant in the field.
The field in which Gino is a giant, where her reputation was perfect, is variously called behavioral science or decision science or organizational psychology. According to her website at the Harvard Business School, where she has been a professor of business administration, Gino's research focuses on why people make the decisions they do at work and how leaders and employees can have more productive, creative, and fulfilling lives. Who wouldn't want that? Gino became a superstar by publishing a great number of research papers in academic journals as well as a couple of books. Her latest is called Rebel Talent, Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life. She produced the kind of camera-ready research that plays perfectly into the virtuous circle of academic superstars.
A journal article is amplified by the publisher or university into the mainstream media, which feeds a headline to all the firms and institutions who are eager to exploit the next behavioral science insight. And this, in turn, generates an even greater appetite for more useful research. The academic who is capable of steadily producing such work is treated almost like an oracle. There are TED talks to be given, books to be written, consulting jobs to be had. Francesca Gino, for instance, gave talks or consulted for Google, Disney, Walmart, for the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy, and many more. But that's all over for now. In July of 2023, Harvard Business School, responding to an analysis by academic whistleblowers, investigated Gino's work and found that she had, quote, intentionally, knowingly or recklessly committed research misconduct. Gino was suspended without pay. She then sued Harvard and the whistleblowers.
Those same whistleblowers have also produced evidence of what they call data fraud by an even more prominent behavioral scientist, Dan Ariely of Duke. Ariely has enjoyed the spotlight for many years, going back to his 2008 book, Predictably Irrational, The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. Ariely claims that Duke investigated and cleared him of accusations of data fraud. Although Duke has declined to say anything publicly about the investigation, Ariely And when it comes to academic fraud, universities have a habit of downplaying charges against their superstar professors for the obvious reason that it reflects poorly on them. Meanwhile, Dan Ariely's book lives on as the basis for an NBC crime drama called The Irrational, now in its second season.
How has academic fraud been investigated?
It stars Jesse L. Martin as a professor who uses behavioral psychology to help solve crimes. What was it you did back there?
Paradoxical persuasion. I overly embraced his idea to force him to think it through enough to realize it was a terrible idea. And how did you know he wasn't going to pull the trigger? It works about 95% of the time. And the other 5%? There's always our liar, Clarissa.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the recent scandals in academia?
0:05–1:08
2
Who is Francesca Gino and why is she controversial?
1:08–4:15
3
How has academic fraud been investigated?
4:15–6:36
4
What are the incentives that lead to academic fraud?
6:36–9:11
5
How does the academic reward system impact research integrity?
9:11–16:41
6
What is the role of whistleblowers in exposing fraud?
16:41–17:40
7
How can we improve the integrity of academic research?
17:40–22:02
8
What is the future of trust in academic research?
22:02–1:15:03
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Freakonomics Radio
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