Matthew effect on Wikipedia

Until today, I had never heard of the Matthew effect.

But I've seen it in action, out here in rural Alaska.

For instance, our regional health care provider won grant funding to provide diabetes prevention activities to ameliorate the nation-leading rates of diabetes among Alaska Natives. The program provided many activities, but guess who participated the most? Disadvantaged at-risk youth? No. Active, middle-class, low-risk adults and their healthy kids.

We have after-school programs and art programs and tutoring programs. Who participates? The lowest-risk kids participate the most; the highest-risk the least. Why do the people who need the programs shun them? And why do we keep running them, pretending that we're "makng a difference"?