DMC Webinar Series: Pandemic, Racial Upheaval, and Polarized Politics: Has 2020 Changed Independent Filmmaking?

Succeeding in the world of independent film is always challenging, but 2020 saddled filmmakers with an unprecedented mix of new obstacles and burdens. In a new all-virtual program, Free Minds Film, in partnership with Florida State University's DeVoe L. Moore Center, asks a group of filmmakers what it's like to release a film in the … Continue reading DMC Webinar Series: Pandemic, Racial Upheaval, and Polarized Politics: Has 2020 Changed Independent Filmmaking?

Interview with Dr. Staley: Filmmaking and Public Policy

On June 25, 2020, DeVoe L. Moore Center director Sam Staley participated in an on-line webinar on the intersection between public policy and filmmaking. The webinar was a partnership between the center, Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy, and Southern California-based film production company Korchula Productions.  Film has become an increasingly important medium for communicating … Continue reading Interview with Dr. Staley: Filmmaking and Public Policy

Entrepreneurship programs challenge conventional wisdom on criminal justice

Those who choose the path of an entrepreneur have the opportunity to reclaim their lives on their own terms, saving themselves while bettering their own communities and making a meaningful contribution to the economy.

Gentrification in Frenchtown: A Nuanced Perspective

By Jordan Greer Gentrification has been contentious since British sociologist Ruth Rich coined the word in the 1960s. Rich used the term to describe the process of wealthy citizens, landlords, and developers moving into British working class neighborhoods and renovating the area. This process of redevelopment, she argued, drove up the costs of housing and … Continue reading Gentrification in Frenchtown: A Nuanced Perspective

Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses

By Benjamin Petersen and Matthew Laird Revenue collected by Florida’s local governments has grown dramatically in the last few decades, raising the importance that Floridians have an accurate understanding of how our governments raise and spend taxdollars. Revenue collected by local governments from permits, fees, and licenses is of particular importance for Florida’s business and … Continue reading Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses

Special Districts in Florida

By: Matt Kelly and Tyler Worthington Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neil once said, “all politics is local,” meaning that politicians must appeal to local constituents to succeed. Yet political economy is arguably most opaque and complex at local levels. Local governments have grown as numerous as they are multifaceted. Over … Continue reading Special Districts in Florida

Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index

By Matt Kelly Defining freedom can be a difficult endeavor, yet the ability to compare relative economic and social liberties among countries is of significant importance for economic research. With that aim in mind, Florida State University professor and DeVoe Moore scholar James Gwartney and Robert Lawson of Southern Methodist University, have compiled the Economic … Continue reading Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index

The Foundations of Political Capitalism

By Matt Kelly Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century raised quite a stir last year among economists. Piketty identifies rising wealth inequality as inherent in capitalism, and recommends a worldwide wealth tax to temper its effects. Many have taken issue with Piketty’s data and analysis, and the idea that inequality is rising at all … Continue reading The Foundations of Political Capitalism

Wealth Migration Pays Florida

State. It is also worth noting that you can track individual counties. For Florida, the biggest winners were a strip along the Gulf coast (from Citrus County to Collier) and most of the Atlantic coast. Of course, there are other factors at play. The elderly (who are more likely to be wealthy) have been retiring … Continue reading Wealth Migration Pays Florida

Legislator Residency Called into Question

Original post date: July 30, 2013 Article by: Anonymous 5/10/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Governor Scott has assigned his top lawyer to look into claims that six state legislators do not actually reside in the districts they represent. The accusations come courtesy … Continue reading Legislator Residency Called into Question

Florida Does Not Need More Corporate Welfare

Original post date: March 27, 2013 Article by: Anonymous 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. Even amongst fiscal conservatives, the argument is often made that the public funding of sports stadiums is justified because of the economic benefits they bring to their communities.  According to TBO, the state senate … Continue reading Florida Does Not Need More Corporate Welfare

Do Left-Leaning Cities Oppose New Housing?

Original post date: February 25, 2013 Article by: Anonymous Matthew E. Kahn of UCLA’s Institute of Environment concludes in a study published in the Journal of Urban Economics that cities with a majority of citizens registered in political parties with liberal tendencies—the Democratic Party, Green Party, and Peach and Freedom Party—issued fewer new housing permits … Continue reading Do Left-Leaning Cities Oppose New Housing?