Business, Government & Society

BGS Professor David Spence spoke about the regulation of oil and gas production to the spring meeting of the American College of Trial Lawyers in Palm Springs, California on March 8th.  Professor Spence has published several articles on the subject, and his remarks focused on the psychological roots of the polarized public debate over hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), and how to overcome that polarization.   Fracking is a technique for extracting hydrocarbons from otherwise impermeable rock, usually deep shale layers more than a mile underground. Professor Spence’s articles and papers concerning fracking can be found here.

On March 1, Professor Timothy Werner conducted a Q&A with the Washington Post regarding the role of business in the defeat of Arizona Senate Bill 1062.  Drawing upon research in his recent book, Werner discussed why big businesses, due to their commitments to non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, put pressure on the governor of Arizona to defeat the bill.

On March 1, Robert Prentice presented a paper on teaching behavioral ethics using Ethics Unwrapped videos at the Association for Professional and Practical Ethics (APPE) annual meeting in Jacksonville, FL.

On January 23, Professor Prentice gave a talk on behavioral ethics to the UT LAMP (life-long learning) program. The topic of the discussion was "Why Good People Do Bad Things."

On February 7, the UT Law School held a book fest honoring Professor Frank Cross’s new Stanford University Press book “The Failed Promise of Originalism." Stefanie Lindquist, Lawrence Solum (Georgetown), and Stephen Griffin (Tulane) participated in the discussion of Professor Cross' new book.

Cara Biasucci, film maker for EthicsUnwrapped, the BGS free ethics video series, has posted three new videos with content provided by Dr. Minette Drumwright--Moral Myopia, Moral Muteness, and Moral Imagination.

The Business, Government & Society Department will offer a new undergraduate certificate program starting Fall 2014. The new certificate is titled the Business & Public Policy Certificate (BPP). Any undergraduate student at UT Austin may apply to be part of the new program. The priority deadline for applications is March 1st, 2014, but students are encouraged to apply early. Applications will continue to be evaluated after March 1st until the program is full. Visit the Texas BPP page for more information or email the program at BPPCertificate@mccombs.utexas.edu if you have any questions.

Professor David Spence recently wrote an article that was featured in Texas Enterprise. The article discussed the possibility of Mexico allowing private companies to participate in its oil and gas markets.

Professor Timothy Werner’s research on the link between corporate independent expenditures and the passage of state antitakeover legislation was cited in an essay on Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. The essay, written by Professor John Coates, is critical of the SEC’s recent decision to remove disclosure of corporate political activity from its priority agenda.

On December 11, Professor Brian Richter was quoted in the Washington Times regarding the economic impact of the automobile bailout.