This piece first appeared on The Beacon. The second edition of my book Advanced Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics has just been published. The book’s intended audience is people who have some familiarity with economics and are interested in how the ideas of the Austrian school differ from mainstream economic thought. The Austrian school of…
Ph.D. Spotlight: The Determinants of Vote Choice in Ballot Measure Elections
What types of informational cues do voters rely on when forming opinions? When does it matter for ballot measures? Is newspaper coverage biased in ballot endorsement elections? What types of bias do newspapers engage in? Does the bias of newspaper coverage in ballot elections affect the outcome of ballot measure elections? With an election just…
The Rich Say: Tax Us More to Fight COVID-19
The piece first appeared on The Beacon. More than 80 wealthy individuals are petitioning for higher taxes on the rich to help pay for the billions in new government programs made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is petition is disingenuous at best. If the wealthy want to pay more to help fight COVID-19, they can choose…
Ph.D. Spotlight: Role of the Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Systems in the Stress Process
Why are sex differences in internalizing mental health disorders such as depression and externalizing health behaviors such as alcohol problems frequently documented? Despite these reported differences between men and women, what accounts for the wide variation in these health outcomes within sex? Theories of gender role orientation have provided explanations for these gaps, but empirical…
Research Spotlight: Lead Poisoning Prevention Efforts in High-Risk Environments
Plenty of parents in the post-COVID-19 world are struggling with the prospects of reopening schools amid the virus surge. Many parents feel overwhelmed by concerns about the untested efficacy of planned safety measures within brick and mortar schools and are awestruck by the gaping holes in proposed distance learning curricula. It is difficult for parents,…
Gendered Consequences of COVID-19 Emergency Measures
This piece first appeared on Medium. One of the most common measures across the globe to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce public health systems’ stress is the implementation of restrictions on citizens’ mobility and stay-at-home orders. While this measure has proven effective in containing COVID-19 contagion, it has gendered implications because…
Research Spotlight: How Does Advice to Women and Men Traveling Alone Reflect Gender Inequality?
Searching the internet has become almost a prerequisite for travel (though considerably fewer trips, of course, are happening during the pandemic). Online articles and blogs are appealing sources of information because they offer up-to-date travel advice, often drawn from personal experiences. Despite their widespread use, online travel articles have received surprisingly little research attention. Dr….
How to Fix the Nursing Home Crisis, Now and After the Pandemic
This piece first appeared in the Tampa Bay Times. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tens of thousands of deaths and more than three million infections, with predictions of many more to come. Nursing home residents have been among the most affected by the pandemic. In some states, half or more of all COVID deaths have…
Teaching Spotlight: How Should and Can We Help the poor? A Course on Global Development & Giving
In the Fall 2019 semester I launched a new undergraduate course titled Global Development & Giving (PUP 4931), which was supported by FSU’s Council of Research and Creativity. I have been visiting poor countries, predominantly in South East Asia, once or twice annually since 2014. These countries include Cambodia, Myanmar, Tibet (China), and, foremost, Laos….
Telemedicine Saved My Life
This piece first appeared in the Orlando Sentinel. Tragically, COVID-19 has already claimed the lives of over 2,000 Floridians. The virus is contagious and deadly, especially to the elderly and those with underlying conditions. But for me, the pandemic and the rules created to stop its spread created an odd confluence of events that likely…
