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Brand USA: Can We Change the Image of the World’s Most Visible Country?

Despite the limitations of Brand USA as a policy and public/private partnership the American brand endures.  A strong brand elicits strong feelings. Given its visibility and superpower status, I would argue that the United States, not Apple, is the world’s most valuable brand.  The future value of the brand rests in the behavior of citizens, policymakers and how these behaviors are perceived by the rest of the world. A quasi-governmental organization pushing social media blasts to potential international visitors can do little to change these perceptions.

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Caregiving: Research and Realities

Those who study aging have known for decades that the effects of population aging are most visible in the growing proportion of the population requiring everyday care and assistance, usually by family members. If we aspire to be a society that values families, we need to do a better job supporting the needs of caregivers, particularly those who are the most vulnerable.

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New Minimum Wage Plan Still Flawed

Minimum wage plans that consider local economic conditions are better than those that don’t, but they still make it difficult for the lowest-skilled workers to find jobs. We also shouldn’t be so quick to adjust federal policies just because some places are expensive, since being expensive is a signal that an area has desirable qualities people value.

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Reclaiming Leadership in Public Health and Healthcare Resilience

The Florida Building Resilience Against Climate Effects Program (BRACE), hosted at FSU, works with health departments to adapt to extreme weather. Public health departments are on the front lines of responding to climate threats like extreme heat, hurricanes, and Zika virus.

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Residents Of Tampa Bay Area Should Pass On Subsidizing New Rays Stadium

In general, there’s no evidence that cities need sports teams to thrive—especially sports teams that are struggling. If Rays ownership wants a new stadium then it should be up to them to find a way to pay for it. Tampa officials and residents, along with taxpayers in surrounding Hillsborough County, should resist the Rays overtures.

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Investigating Local Energy Provision and Community Sustainability

Lack of resources or political support for sustainability are obstacles to integrating energy with environmental economic and social sustainability, but political and bureaucratic institutions that fragment authority are often the greatest barriers to more effective sustainability.  

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How to Create Safe Skies in the Age of Drones

As with automobiles, and unlike with airline traffic, NASA’s proposed system would allow drones to fly where their owners wanted, when they wanted, without requiring permission from a government controller. But this same system could also be used for airline traffic, converting the current antiquated system of top-down air traffic control into a decentralized system in which aircraft electronically see and avoid each other. The technology for aircraft to see each other electronically already exists, and is already required for airliners.

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From the Classroom: Antitrust Law and Tech Giants

One of the most satisfying parts of the assignment was that I challenged the students to write both a government and a defense memo that were so balanced in their arguments that I could not tell which side they personally favored. Virtually all of the students succeeded in doing so.

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The Best Field Trip Might Be Just Around the Corner

The School of Arts and Sciences took third graders to Trader Joe's this year, and many students and parents were surprised at how engaging and interesting this simple, inexpensive field trip was. It allowed exploration of nutrition, business management, advertisement and budgeting. Creative field trips like these are affordable and expand kids' practical understanding of work and their cities.

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New Book: Political Capitalism By Dr. Randall Holcombe

Frequent demands that the government should do something (about so many things!) are too often based on wishful thinking—the thought that if government is given the power to act, it will do what the critics want. But giving the government power to do something too often means giving the elite more power to use the system for their benefit. I don’t claim that my book has all the answers; but problems cannot be effectively addressed without understanding their causes. My book explains why cronyism and favoritism toward special interests has become increasingly common.