{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7128375264","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","title":"The Vacuum of Inquiry: How Institutional Incentives Create the Conditions for Conspiracy Thinking","display_name":"The Vacuum of Inquiry: How Institutional Incentives Create the Conditions for Conspiracy Thinking","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-02-10","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7128375264","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.5281/zenodo.18571483","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400562","display_name":"Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I67311998","host_organization_name":"European Organization for Nuclear Research","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I67311998"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"volume":null,"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5121594841","display_name":"Signal Rupture","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9348-3534","observed_orcids":["https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9348-3534"]},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Rupture, Signal","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9348-3534","affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5121594841"],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11147","display_name":"Misinformation and Its Impacts","score":0.9984999895095825,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3312","display_name":"Sociology and Political Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11147","display_name":"Misinformation and Its Impacts","score":0.9984999895095825,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3312","display_name":"Sociology and Political Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12295","display_name":"Foucault, Power, and Ethics","score":0.000699999975040555,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3312","display_name":"Sociology and Political Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11477","display_name":"Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics","score":0.0,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1211","display_name":"Philosophy"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/conspiracy-theories","display_name":"conspiracy theories","score":0.9559999704360962},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/institutional-incentives","display_name":"institutional incentives","score":0.9879999756813049},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/institutional-neglect","display_name":"institutional neglect","score":0.6370000243186951},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/distrust","display_name":"distrust","score":0.6100000143051147},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/institutional-silence","display_name":"institutional silence","score":0.382999986410141},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/structural-explanations","display_name":"structural explanations","score":0.4359999895095825}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C29122968","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1414816","display_name":"Incentive","level":2,"score":0.840499997138977},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776452267","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1503443","display_name":"Secrecy","level":2,"score":0.6978999972343445},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C14036430","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3736076","display_name":"Function (biology)","level":2,"score":0.5807999968528748},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C190253527","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295354","display_name":"Law and economics","level":1,"score":0.5239999890327454},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776289891","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1931511","display_name":"Neglect","level":2,"score":0.49779999256134033},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.399399995803833},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C17744445","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36442","display_name":"Political science","level":0,"score":0.3930000066757202},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138921699","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47555","display_name":"Political economy","level":1,"score":0.3912000060081482},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162324750","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8134","display_name":"Economics","level":0,"score":0.38019999861717224},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C118084267","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26110","display_name":"Positive economics","level":1,"score":0.37400001287460327},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199539241","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7748","display_name":"Law","level":1,"score":0.353300005197525},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.33149999380111694},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C39549134","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133080","display_name":"Public relations","level":1,"score":0.33079999685287476},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776325391","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6917865","display_name":"Motivated reasoning","level":3,"score":0.3230000138282776},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778137410","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2732820","display_name":"Government (linguistics)","level":2,"score":0.31679999828338623},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162222271","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q92779871","display_name":"Public good","level":2,"score":0.29589998722076416},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C59577422","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10265143","display_name":"False accusation","level":2,"score":0.2903999984264374},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C109986646","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q546113","display_name":"Public policy","level":2,"score":0.265500009059906},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C48103436","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q599031","display_name":"State (computer science)","level":2,"score":0.26420000195503235}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":2,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.5281/zenodo.18571483","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400562","display_name":"Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I67311998","host_organization_name":"European Organization for Nuclear Research","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I67311998"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},{"id":"doi:10.5281/zenodo.18571484","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571484","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571484","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400562","display_name":"Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I67311998","host_organization_name":"European Organization for Nuclear Research","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I67311998"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.5281/zenodo.18571483","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18571483","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400562","display_name":"Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I67311998","host_organization_name":"European Organization for Nuclear Research","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I67311998"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"score":0.7297000288963318,"display_name":"Peace, justice, and strong institutions","id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16"}],"sustainable_development_goals_aurora":[{"score":0.6452891230583191,"display_name":"Peace, justice, and strong institutions","id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16"}],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"This":[0,45],"essay":[1,92],"examines":[2],"how":[3,77,122],"modern":[4],"institutions":[5,71],"create":[6],"the":[7,51,91],"very":[8],"conditions":[9],"in":[10],"which":[11],"conspiracy":[12,62,94,115],"thinking":[13,95],"becomes":[14,127],"plausible,":[15],"not":[16],"through":[17,20],"secrecy":[18],"but":[19],"structural":[21],"omission.":[22],"Institutions":[23],"\u201cstudy":[24],"what":[25,32,126,129],"aligns":[26],"with":[27,116],"their":[28],"incentives":[29,124],"and":[30,43,132],"neglect":[31],"does":[33],"not,\u201d":[34],"leaving":[35],"slow,":[36],"diffuse,":[37],"or":[38,57],"politically":[39],"inconvenient":[40],"harms":[41],"unmeasured":[42],"unaddressed.":[44],"avoidance":[46],"produces":[47],"an":[48],"epistemic":[49],"vacuum":[50],"public":[52],"experiences":[53],"as":[54,65,84,96],"silence,":[55],"contradiction,":[56],"neglect.":[58,102],"In":[59],"this":[60],"vacuum,":[61],"theories":[63],"function":[64],"improvised":[66],"explanations":[67],"for":[68,113],"patterns":[69],"that":[70],"refuse":[72],"to":[73,81,100,108],"investigate.":[74],"By":[75],"showing":[76],"phrases":[78],"like":[79],"\u201chard":[80],"measure\u201d":[82],"operate":[83],"institutional":[85,123],"anesthesia":[86],"rather":[87],"than":[88],"scientific":[89],"limitation,":[90],"reframes":[93],"a":[97,118],"rational":[98],"response":[99],"incentive\u2011driven":[101],"Instead":[103],"of":[104,121],"attributing":[105],"systemic":[106],"outcomes":[107],"hidden":[109],"actors,":[110],"it":[111],"argues":[112],"replacing":[114],"structure:":[117],"clear":[119],"account":[120],"shape":[125],"legible,":[128],"remains":[130],"unstudied,":[131],"why":[133],"mistrust":[134],"emerges":[135],"when":[136],"inquiry":[137],"is":[138],"absent.":[139]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-10-09T09:14:12.587421","created_date":"2026-02-10T00:00:00"}
