Joseph Warren’s Mercatus Fellowship Story
Bridging Philosophy and Policy: How the James Buchanan Fellowship Helped Joseph Warren Connect Abstract Ideas to Alaska's Challenges
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When Joseph Warren first encountered scholars associated with George Mason University as an undergraduate at Reed College, he was immediately drawn to their work. "I read work by Pete Leeson, for instance, as an undergraduate and found that to be very interesting," he recalls. Years later, after earning his PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley and returning to his native Alaska to teach at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Joseph sought out the Mercatus Center's James Buchanan Fellowship.
"It sounded to me like a fantastic opportunity to discuss interesting ideas," he says. Today, Joseph is an Assistant Professor of Political Science who credits the fellowship with helping him bridge abstract political philosophy and concrete local challenges, applying insights from mainline political economy to pressing policy questions in environmental governance and housing in Alaska.
It sounded to me like a fantastic opportunity to discuss interesting ideas.
Joseph's research focuses on American politics and political development, using game theory to understand complex political interactions. He came to graduate school "interested in quite abstract questions around the nature of the state and legal authority," but over time has focused more on contemporary policy issues, particularly housing and environmental policy in Alaska. The James Buchanan Fellowship helped him bridge these interests in powerful ways.
The James Buchanan Fellowship is a one-year program for early-career scholars who have recently graduated from their doctoral programs in any discipline. Fellows explore ideas from Adam Smith and the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, discovering how these frameworks apply to contemporary questions in social sciences dealing with economic, political, and social coordination.
One thing that's very valuable from the Mercatus Fellowship is engaging with this community of scholars.
"Reading Hayek and talking about him with other scholars has been helpful in fleshing out those ideas," Joseph reflects. One of the most impactful aspects of the fellowship has been the intellectual community it provided. Joseph is currently working with a fellow he met through the program on a survey experiment project related to Alaska policy. "We met through the fellowship and are continuing to meet this semester, next semester to implement the survey," he explains. "There's a clear complementarity. And so that's a direct result of the fellowship."
"One thing that's very valuable from the Mercatus Fellowship is engaging with this community of scholars. That's what I find to be most valuable," Joseph says. "Being able to spend some time focusing purely on ideas is a wonderful experience and a great opportunity. It expands your thinking around what questions I should be asking as opposed to just what's going to get published."
It's just a great opportunity for professional development, for personal development.
The fellowship has also influenced Joseph's teaching in meaningful ways. Impressed by the seminar format used in the Buchanan Fellowship, he has "tried to emulate the setup in my classes with undergraduates" and is planning to create a co-curricular activity modeled on the Mercatus approach. "I think it's a great way of setting up this discussion of ideas," he says. He's also incorporating Adam Smith's work into his comparative political economy course, recognizing the value of starting with foundational texts to frame semester-long discussions.
Joseph continues his work at the University of Alaska Anchorage, applying insights from mainline political economy to pressing policy questions in Alaska while maintaining his connections to the Mercatus community.