Meet a Social Scientist: Dr. James Elsner from the Department of Geography

What is your name?Dr. James Elsner What kind of work do you do for the College?I am a professor in the geography department at Florida State University. I teach, do research and engage in service in the department, profession and community. Why did you decide to become an academic?  I’m a first-generation academic. In fact,…

Meet A Social Scientist: Dr. Mackenzie Alston from Economics

What is your name?Dr. Mackenzie Alston What kind of work do you do in the College?I am an assistant professor in the Economics Department. I teach, do research and engage in service in the department, profession and community. Why did you decide to become an academic? A big part of it was because of my…

Meet a Social Scientist: Dr. Metcalf from International Studies

What is your name?Dr. Lee Metcalf  What kind of work do you do in the College?Among other things, I am the director of the International Studies degree programs. Why did you decide to work at an academic institution? I was an FSU political science major who became absolutely fascinated with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe…

Credible Leadership: Insights from Experimental Economics

We are certainly not the first to show that managers must keep their workers happy, but this is often discussed as a compromise or deviation from what is best for the organization. We show that such behavior is in fact directly in line with an organization’s best interest in a large number of cases. It is rational to prioritize a leader’s social credibility, and such abilities deserve equal recognition in evaluating a manager’s effectiveness. A government leader’s knowledge of economic conditions will prove meaningless if they cannot convince independent firms to invest locally. Similarly, an executive’s analytical brilliance or creative insight into consumer markets may not lead to business success unless they are able to maintain followership among employees in many areas of their firm.

Entrepreneurship Programs Can Help Ex-offenders Stay out of Prison

This piece first appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat. Struggling to re-enter society with nothing but lost time and the additional burden of a criminal record, ex-offenders have a 76.6% chance of being rearrested within five years. This is dramatic evidence of the failure of the so-called “punishment” or “retributive” approach to criminal justice, which promises…