As a high school and college student, Jason Fletcher couldn't help but notice the way adolescents were influenced by their peers. He saw behaviors that were simply irrational.
So Fletcher (M.S.’03, Economics; M.A.’05, Ph.D.’06, Agricultural and Applied Economics) set out to find explanations, first as an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee, then as a graduate student at UW-Madison and then as a faculty member at the Yale School of Public Health for seven years.
Now, he’s returned to Madison as an associate professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs. We asked Fletcher about being back on campus, his multidisciplinary teaching approach and more.
Fletcher
Q: Tell us more about your research interests.
A: I’m interested in a lot of topics, but here are two. First, how adolescent peers and friends affect each other’s decision-making in health and education outcomes — whether to smoke, where to go to college, etc. Second, why some policies work on some people but not others, and in what circumstances genetics can help us understand policy successes and failures.
Q: What courses will you teach?
A: Social network analysis and likely courses on policy evaluation. At some point I’d like to teach a course focusing on education and one focusing on health behaviors. Maybe another course that integrates genetics and social science.
Q: What can students expect in the classroom?
A: I’ll try to integrate different disciplinary perspectives in my course, from economics to sociology to public health and policy analysis as well as genetics and biology. There is often not “one answer” or “one approach” that is useful in tackling an important question. I will try to challenge students to understand where their intuitions are coming from and what other perspectives have to offer.
Q: Why are you excited to be back at UW-Madison?
A: Everything! Madison is a great place to live and work. We have missed being away from Madison and are very excited to be coming back.
Q: Do you have a favorite spot in Madison?
A: Lots, but we are really looking forward to the farmer’s market on the Capitol Square and getting re-acquainted with the Monroe Street area.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
A: We have a 1-year-old baby, so all our time is now baby-focused. Hopefully we’ll get to use the bike trails, visit friends, and travel outside of Madison (Mount Horeb, New Glarus, etc).
To meet more new faculty members, see our full list of Q&As.