This dissertation examines whether describing crowd disasters as “stampedes” affects how people assign blame. The talk argues that the term wrongly implies irrational, selfish victim behaviour, obscuring structural failures in planning and crowd management. Experiments will test whether language shifts blame from systems to victims in perceptions of crowd crushes.

This research examines the impact of stand-your-ground laws on public safety. While widely adopted, the findings show no large or immediate effects on homicide or related outcomes. However, small, uncertain effects may exist, and when scaled across many interactions, these can influence behavior and contribute to real-world consequences in everyday confrontations.

This research examines how prior victim or defendant status influences courtroom outcomes. Using Philadelphia court data, it finds that individuals with dual roles receive different treatment depending on context—leniency as defendants but weaker outcomes as victims. The findings challenge assumptions of neutrality and raise concerns about fairness and consistency in the justice system.