usclaw - USC Gould School of Law - University of Southern California

with economic analysis of organizational
b e h a v i o r, behavioral economics promises to
c reate a more sophisticated, realistic and parsimonious
account of organizational behavior.
The consequences for law are of equal importance,
since the prudent design of legal ru l e s
turns critically on making accurate pre d i c t i o n s
about how individuals and organizations
respond to their enviro n m e n t .
An Intellectual Advanta g e
C L E O ’s goal — and challenge — is to integrate
the Law School’s traditional role as a
locus of interd i s c i p l i n a ry scholarship with
these emerging and increasingly eclectic
accounts of organizational behavior being
d e veloped in the academic circles of law, business,
psychology and economics.
Because USC has such strong programs in
all of these areas, CLEO already has an intellectual
advantage. In addition, the Law
S c h o o l’s long-standing commitment to interd
i s c i p l i n a ry scholarship and its own faculty
e x p e rtise in business law and economics — six
of the school’s faculty members hold graduate
d e g rees in economics and many others
f requently conduct re s e a rch within the fie l d
— provide a solid basis upon which to build
this important new center.
Indeed, CLEO already has met tre m e n-
dous success. Last summer, the center
s p o n s o red a multi-departmental faculty workshop
involving professors from the Law
School, the Marshall School, the Leve n t h a l
School of Accounting and the departments of
economics, psychology and international re l a-
tions. T h roughout the school ye a r, CLEO
sponsors weekly faculty workshops at the Law
School that draw faculty and graduate
students from across the unive r s i t y. The center
has already organized two major confere n c e s ,
one on corporate law and another on behavioral
economics, and its working paper series
has given scholars in a range of disciplines the
o p p o rtunity to gather insight, criticisms and
advice from their colleagues.
As it provides new avenues for collaborat
i ve re s e a rch among faculty, CLEO is also
Olin Grants Enable Students, Recent Grads to Study with USC Experts
Since 1992, the John M. Olin Foundation has supported law and economics programs, scholarships and fellowships at USC. Under the
direction of the Center for Law, Economics and Organization, Olin fellowships and scholarships will continue to be awarded to students and
recent graduates whose academic interests focus on the relationship between law and economics.
Kathryn M. Zeiler, a third-year law student who is concurrently pursuing a doctorate in economics at California
Institute of Te ch n o l o g y, has received two Olin summer fellowships. Ms. Zeiler — a certified public accountant — is
studying how the law affects contracting between health care organizations and physicians. When she completes
her Ph.D. in 2003, she hopes to teach economics, law or health care policy.
“ U SC is a great place for economics because a large portion of the law faculty have joint degrees,” she says,
noting that CLEO offers exciting research opportunities for students who are interested in law and economics. “USC
also has been really good about designing a unique program for me. I’ve been able to take several courses on
law and economics, a class on health law and tax courses that have helped me tailor my studies.”
Laura A. Noroski, Navid Soleymani and Stacie D. Yee are the 2000-01 Olin Scholars. Ms. Noroski, a fir s t - y e a r
Kathryn Zeiler, Laura Noroski
student, holds an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA. She will work for a federal bankruptcy judge this
s u m m e r. Mr. Soleymani, a third-year student, holds an undergraduate degree in business-economics from UCL A .
He will clerk for Judge David R. Thompson of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after graduation. Ms. Yee, a second-year student,
holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Claremont McKenna College and has externed for Justice Earl Johnson, Jr. of the California
m i n d
Court of Appeal.
CLEO also provides fellowship support for graduate students interested in studying with USC faculty mentors in preparation for teach i n g
careers. Two Olin fellows-in-residence studied at USC during summer 2000. Eric R. Claeys ’94, the Bigelow Te a ching Fellow and a law
lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, clerked for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court after graduating
from USC and was later an associate with Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. Chris Harrison is a recent graduate of New York University
S chool of Law who studies psych o l o g y, economics and corporate issues. After a clerkship with the Delaware Chancery Court next year,
he plans to begin a career teaching law.
2 2 USCLAW s p r i n g 2001