scholarly journals “Beauty” premium for social scientists but “unattractiveness” premium for natural scientists in the public speaking market

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weilong Bi ◽  
Ho Fai Chan ◽  
Benno Torgler
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Natural Scientist ◽  
The Public ◽  
Beauty Premium ◽  
The Face ◽  
Natural Scientists

Abstract In the face of scientists’ increasing engagement in public discourse, we examine whether facial attractiveness affects their market value (i.e., audience willingness to pay). For a sample of scientists who participate in public speaking, we find that facial attractiveness is uncorrelated with internal academic achievements (as measured by publications and citations) and is only weakly but positively linked to attention outside of academia. Notably, we find that the effect of facial attractiveness on external influence is only robust to measures where speakers’ physical appearance is likely to be most apparent to the public, such as invitations to give TED talks or Google web page counts while the effect on the number of book publications or book awards is not significant. Our results also suggest that these relationships do not differ across scientists’ fields of research. However, we find that in terms of speaking fees, social scientists benefit substantially from being more attractive, whereas unattractiveness is a comparative advantage for natural scientists. A similar divergence in the direction of the relationship between speaking fee and facial attractiveness is also evident for nonacademic speakers from different fields: whereas those from a natural science (job) background gain from unattractiveness, those with a social science history benefit from a beauty premium. This market premium for unattractiveness conforms not only to the common stereotype of the natural scientist but also to a belief that the more unattractive of these researchers engage in higher quality work. Overall, the findings indicate that facial appearance is important in the public perception of academics and, to some extent, their dissemination of knowledge.

scholarly journals Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Palfrey ◽  
Urs Gasser ◽  
danah boyd
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Young People ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Information ◽  
Technology Changes ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

When it comes to youth and technology, issues of concern about the future – rather than issues related to opportunities – often dominate the public discourse. This is understandable. First, parents and grandparents are often baffled by, and sometimes concerned about, the habits of their children and the generations that follow – and this shift in behavior by many youth is surely no exception to that rule. Second, we are in the midst of radical transformations in the information technology environment and in patterns of usage of technology, changes that are bringing with them much creativity but also challenges to existing hierarchies. And third, adults perceive that their children are more likely to use these new information technologies in ways that are at best perplexing and at worst dangerous to themselves and to society. The data collected by social scientists about young people, how they use technologies, and the challenges and opportunities they face often are at odds with this public perception. We appreciate the frame of the FCC’s NOI, which encourages respondents to focus on the empowerment of parents as well as the protection of our children with respect to online behaviors.

scholarly journals Public Discourses on (Sectoral) Energy Policy in Switzerland

2021 ◽  
pp. 313-343
Author(s):  
Lena Maria Schaffer ◽  
Alessio Levis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
News Media ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Transition Policy

AbstractEnergy transitions are based upon policy choices of sovereign nation states. Hence, politics plays a role in determining which policies governments implement and which sectors are targeted. Our chapter looks at the evolution of public discourse on energy policy as one important factor reflecting policy discussion and contestation within the political arena. Our descriptive and explorative analysis of the early public discourse in Swiss energy policy between 1997 and 2011 contributes to three main issues. First, it makes a case for the disaggregation of energy policy and its public perception to add to our understanding of energy transition pathways. We argue that looking at sectoral discourses as well as sectoral policy outputs allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the idiosyncrasies of Swiss energy policy regarding temporal as well as sectoral variation. Second, an increased politicization of energy policy may affect future policy choice, and thus any account on energy transition policy needs to scrutinize potential feedback effects from policies that manifest via policy discourse. Third, and on a more methodological stance, we argue that our approach to use news media as a representation of the public discourse via structural topic models can help to explore and explain the evolving national policy priorities regarding energy transition.

The face of energy

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Problem Solver ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Right

In this era of technological disruption, when many industries are fighting to stay relevant, the oil and gas industry seems to be stagnant. It is in this environment where public perception of the modern industry is becoming more critical and as younger consumers grow in both number and political influence, their viewpoints will become especially vital to the continued relevance of the industry. The oil and gas industry gives itself high marks for innovation, safety and environmental sustainability, and yet the public opinion in these areas is often portrayed very negatively. We have an image problem. The belief that oil and gas is good for society seems to decline with each younger generation. The public believes the industry is necessary for society, though they still see it as a problem causer, not a problem solver. But support for the industry falls with each generation and millennials are more likely to believe the industry is bad for society and a problem causer. The oil and gas industry needs to communicate and engage with consumers to identify ways to better understand their motivations and concerns. Clearly there is a gap in how the public and executives view the industry and the time to address these perceptions is now. To view the video, click the link on the right.

A Conversation on Immigration in Prince George's County

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
Heidi Fishpaw
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Collaborative Effort ◽  
Immigrant Community ◽  
Prince George's County ◽  
University Of Maryland ◽  
The Public ◽  
Maryland College ◽  
The University

This article describes and analyzes research that I carried out in the context of a collaborative effort to market and plan events around a mobile exhibit on the immigrant experience in Prince George's County, Maryland. The project aimed to shine light on and tease out the factors that play a role in public perception of immigrants and immigration as well as to understand, in the first place, what the range of public perceptions is. I participated in this project as an intern for the Anthropology of the Immigrant Life Course Research Program (2010) of the University of Maryland, College Park's Department of Anthropology. I focused on understanding how the public imagines the immigrant community in Prince George's County and the public discourse about immigration as an issue more broadly.

scholarly journals Electrophysiological Correlates of Shyness Affected by Facial Attractiveness

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofan Xu ◽  
Bingbing Li ◽  
Ping Liu ◽  
Dan Li
Keyword(s):  
Hemispheric Asymmetry ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Baseline Phase ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽  
The Brain

Previous neurological studies of shyness have focused on the hemispheric asymmetry of alpha spectral power. To the best of our knowledge, few studies have focused on the interaction between different frequencies bands in the brain of shyness. Additionally, shy individuals are even shyer when confronted with a group of people they consider superior to them. This study aimed to reveal the neural basis of shy individuals using the delta-beta correlation. Further, it aimed to investigate the effect of evaluators’ facial attractiveness on the delta-beta correlation of shyness during the speech anticipation phase. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) activity of 94 participants during rest and anticipation of the public speaking phase. Moreover, during the speech anticipation phase, participants were presented with high or low facial attractiveness. The results showed that, as predicted, the delta-beta correlation in the frontal region was more robust for high shyness than for low shyness during the speech anticipation phase. However, no significant differences were observed in the delta-beta correlation during the baseline phase. Further exploration found that the delta-beta correlation was more robust for high facial attractiveness than low facial attractiveness in the high shyness group. However, no significant difference was found in the low-shyness group. This study suggests that a stronger delta-beta correlation might be the neural basis for shy individuals. Moreover, high facial attractiveness might enhance the delta-beta correlation of high shyness in anticipation of public speaking.

scholarly journals Social scientists as expert witnesses in The Hague Tribunal and elsewhere

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-116
Author(s):  
Vladimir Petrovic
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Expert Witnesses ◽  
Specific Character ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
Specific Solution ◽  
The Hague ◽  
Legal Contexts

The article analyses the role of social scientists as expert witnesses in the ICTY, whose contribution is assessed in the light of the long development of this practice. Wider discussion on the courtroom usage of scientific knowledge is evoked in order to emphasize the problems in regulation of expert witnessing. Differing mechanisms set to ensure the scientific reliability and legal relevance of the contribution of experts is analyzed in different legal contexts and in different scholarly disciplines. Regulation of expert witnessing in The Hague tribunal is perceived as specific solution whose consequences are tracked through the role of experts in the trials and through the public perception of this role. The goal of such approach is to nuance the dominant interpretations on the role of scholars in the Hague tribunal and to create the preconditions for understanding of the specific character of their role.

Deconstructing stereotypes: perception of women in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - A realm of empowerment

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-111
Author(s):  
Agnes Havril ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
The Public ◽  
Saudi Women ◽  
The Face ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Historical Accounts

The image of a subservient woman who has no other choice but to comply with the norms and rules dictated by the orthodox male-dominated society is perhaps the most common Western perception of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An entrenched notion, it is for the most part perpetuated by the standards and norms of Western culture, which in turn define how we interpret and look at others. The benchmark then becomes our own culture against which we compare and contrast the ideas and values of other – often non-Western – societies, as is the case with Saudi Arabia. The result is ultimately a Western-infused interpretation that creates bias and overlooks the uniqueness of a particular culture. The main rationale of the following paper is to deconstruct these stereotypical notions and to describe Saudi society and culture, which is devoid of such Western apprehension. The focus here is to examine the field of female public education, with a particular focus on higher education, and thus to show that Saudi women can be and in fact are empowered by means of education. Historical accounts – especially the reforms of King Faisal and his wife Iffat Al Thunayan – demonstrate the achievements in the field that have furthered women’s educational and, as a consequence, labour market opportunities. While the high number of female students and graduates exemplify these advancements, such figures are merely one-dimensional and do not give justice to the underlying complexities. For this matter, the heritage of Bedouinism (‘tribalism’) and Wahhabism, the orthodoxy of the Ulema with their monopoly over the interpretation of Islam and its consequences, influence the public discourse about advancing girls’ and women’s situation in the kingdom. The concept of ijtihad, also used by Islamic feminism, will add another layer to the analysis; it can be seen as a tool that enables Saudi women to move forward on the path of progress by simultaneously balancing tradition and modernity. As a result, a holistic view will be presented in the paper, in which the situation of Saudi women is seen and analysed through the lens of Saudi culture. Then, the unique state of women will not be reduced to the reductive belief that Saudi girls and women are trapped in a parochial, patriarchal system, but can become empowered through education, even in the face the Ulema’s monopoly of Wahhabi Islam, which pervades all aspects of life and, so too, the domain of female higher education.

Accounting for Democracy: Excessive Subjects in a State of Consensus

boundary 2 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-144
Author(s):  
L. Elena Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Popular Sovereignty ◽  
Excess Function ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
The Face ◽  
Conditions Of Possibility ◽  
And Function

In the face of the public debates and protests fueled by Spain's persistent economic, social, and institutional crisis (2008–present), the country's politicians and media have consistently identified these debates and protests—in a word, social unrest—with three phenomena: nationalism, populism, and feminism. In my essay, I begin by showing how Spanish public discourse tends to situate all three on a single continuum, identifying their intersections in negative terms as a potentially disruptive excess that must be controlled, if not eliminated, to avoid a crisis of democracy. The second part of my essay moves to a theoretically informed reflection on the nature and function of political elements categorized as “excessive” in consensus democracies. Drawing on C. Lefort, J. Rancière, C. Mouffe, W. Brown. B. Honig, and L. Grattan, among others, I delve into how these perceived forms of excess function as dissonant remainders that account for the paradoxes of popular sovereignty, signaling its limits as well as its conditions of possibility.

Epistemological Ambivalence: Richard Rorty on Religion and Public Discourse

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-109
Author(s):  
Terrence Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Richard Rorty ◽  
Social Good ◽  
The Public ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Public Sphere

The late Richard Rorty famously argued that faith-based positions grounded in comprehensive worldviews or unassailable texts served as ‘conversation-stoppers’ and should be excluded from the public sphere. This article argues that Rorty’s position flies in the face of his own postmodern epistemology as well as his insistence on the humility and virtues that should attend the collective pursuit of the social good. It suggests that there are two Rortys at work and that his epistemological ambivalence undermines the force of his argument.

scholarly journals Can political rhetoric ever be “too persuasive”?

Jezikoslovlje ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-303
Author(s):  
Andreas Musolff
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Political Rhetoric ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Commitments ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

Can the use of linguistic devices to achieve persuasion, such as metaphor, irony and hyperbole, ever be “too persuasive”, i.e., overshoot its rhetorical aim? More specifically, can the combination of such devices be “too much of a good thing” in that it commits speakers (and approving hearers) to actions that they were not part of their persuasion intentions? This paper investigates the semantic and pragmatic development of the Brexit-related applications of the metaphorical proverb, You cannot have your cake and eat it, during 2016–2019 in British public discourse. At the start of that period, the proverb’s reversal into the assertion “We can have our cake and eat it!” by the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and other “Brexiteers” became a highly prominent endorsement of Brexit and its supposed benefits for the UK; it even temporarily set the agenda for the public perception of UK–EU negotiations. Over time it became an object of hyperbolic praise as well as derision and recently seems to have lost much of its persuasive force. The paper argues that the proverb’s new reversed application by Johnson was initially successful in reviving its metaphorical meaning and framing it in a hyperbolic rhetorical context but that it also pushed Brexit proponents to an “all-or-nothing” outcome of the conflict narrative, both vis-à-vis the EU and within the British political debate. Thus, rhetorical success can lead to argumentative (and political) commitments that may have been not foreseen by the speaker and may run counter to their persuasive interests.

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