
Do Dishonest People Self-Select Into Public Service?
From Not Another Politics Podcast by University of Chicago Podcast Network
February 19, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 155
About this episode
The episode explores the connection between academic dishonesty and political power in China through a new research paper.
Is academic dishonesty connected to political power in China? That question is explored in a new paper from Shaoda Wang, Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Wang and his co-authors explore how plagiarism detection in graduate dissertations is connected to patterns of cheating in career paths and institutional behavior. What lessons might this hold for politics, meritocracy, and institutional performance elsewhere?
People in this episode
Guest: Shaoda Wang
Topics covered
- academic dishonesty
- political power
- plagiarism detection
- cheating patterns
- meritocracy
- institutional performance
Keywords
- academic dishonesty
- political power
- plagiarism
- cheating
- meritocracy
- institutional behavior
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
Places: China
More episodes of Not Another Politics Podcast
- Is Abortion Policy Out Of Step With Public Opinion? · June 11, 2026 · 53 min
- The Political Effects of the Opioid Crisis · May 14, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Is the Median Justice Running the Supreme Court? · April 24, 2026 · 1h 10m
- Why Does America Pay More For Infrastructure? · March 26, 2026 · 51 min
- What Binary Questions Get Wrong About Voters · March 12, 2026 · 39 min
- The Future of Empirical Research in the Age of AI · February 6, 2026 · 47 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Not Another Politics Podcast podcast page.