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Russell Hassan

Ambassador Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Chair in Public and International Affairs

Biography

Russell S. Hassan is a professor at The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs, where he holds the Milton & Roslyn Wolf Chair in Public Affairs. He is a leading scholar in public management in the United States, with expertise in leadership, organizational behavior, and policing.

 

Dr. Hassan has conducted extensive research on how leadership practices and perceptions of the work environment shape the motivation, performance, and well-being of frontline government employees—particularly those in law enforcement. Another stream of his work explores how social identity and relational dynamics influence workplace experiences and career outcomes for underrepresented groups in government organizations. He is also actively engaged in research on racial and ethnic disparities in policing and in developing evidence-based strategies for reform.

 

His work has been published in leading academic journals in public affairs and policing, including the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, Public Management Review, Public Administration, Review of Public Personnel Administration, British Journal of Criminology, Policing & Society, Policing, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence, as well as in management journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics and Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. He is a two-time recipient of the Review of Public Personnel Administration (ROPPA) Best Article Award.

 

Professor Hassan currently serves as a co-editor of the International Public Management Journal and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and Public Management Review. He previously chaired the Public and Nonprofit Division of the Academy of Management (2019–2020) and served as Communications Secretary for the International Research Society for Public Management (2014–2020).

 

He earned his Ph.D. from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs at the State University of New York at Albany. He is affiliated with Ohio State’s Criminal Justice Research Center and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, as well as with Michigan State University’s Police Staffing Research Observatory and the Local Government Workplace Research Initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2021 to 2023, he was a Visiting Professor at Aarhus University’s School of Business and Social Sciences.

The Columbus Model: Crowd Psychology, Dialogue Policing, and Protest Management in the U.S.A.
Policing and Society
July 17, 2025

Russell Hassan, Clifford Stott and colleagues deliver the first systematic, theory-informed empirical analysis of the Columbus Division of Police post-2020 POPS framework using participatory action research across 60+ events to show how specific approaches contain conflict and promote self-regulation within protest crowds, also revealing tensions in organizational change.

Does workplace inclusion mitigate emotional exhaustion? Evidence from local government organizations
Public Management Review
August 26, 2024

Russell Hassan, along with his colleagues, examines how workplace inclusion can reduce emotional exhaustion and buffer against challenges like incivility and COVID-19–related job changes in local government organizations.

Workplace Incivility and Its Impact on Public Employees’ Job Search Behavior
Public Personnel Management
February 07, 2024

Shahidul Hassan, along with his colleagues, examines how experiences of supervisor and coworker incivility influence public employees’ job satisfaction and prompt job search behavior, especially affecting employees of color more strongly.

Preference for Group-based Social Hierarchy and the Reluctance to Accept Women as Equals in Law Enforcement
Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory
February 07, 2024

Jill Davis and Russell Hassan study whether police officers motivated to protect existing social power hierarchies are more likely to resist organizational diversity and hold more negative views about women's suitability for law enforcement.

The Relation Between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Civic Engagement Among People of Asian Descent
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
February 05, 2024

Long Tran, Russell Hassan and Darwin Baluran examine how perceived racial discrimination relates to political and community civic engagement among people of Asian descent after COVID-19.

Gender Differences in Workplace Incivility Experiences and Their Impacts on the Wellbeing and Retention of Women in Law Enforcement Organizations
Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice
January 30, 2024

Jill Davis, Russell Hassan and colleagues examine higher rates of workforce incivility reports from policewomen versus policemen. Policewomen also report heightened emotional exhaustion and express a greater intention to leave their current positions than policemen.

Support for Democratic Policing among Frontline Police Officers: The Role of Social Dominance Orientation
The British Journal of Criminology
July 21, 2023

Jill Davis, Russell Hassan and Darwin Baluran study the connection between police officer preference for group-based social hierarchy and endorsement of democratic policing practices.

Work engagement, burnout, and the motivation to serve among law enforcement officers during the COVID-19 pandemic and community protests in the USA
Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice
November 15, 2022

Russell Hassan investigates changes in officer work engagement and burnout over time and the role of public service motivation in sustaining high work engagement and attenuating burnout.

An Early Assessment of the 2017 Child Marriage Restraint Act of Bangladesh
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
March 10, 2022

This study examines the trends in child marriage in Bahledesh following the enactment of the new law to inform policymakers working towards eliminating child marriage from the country.

Conflict and Cooperation Within Police Units: The Importance of Manager Inclusiveness
Public Management Review
January 13, 2022

This study by Russell Hassan assesses the influence of manager inclusiveness on unit-level relational conflict and interpersonal helping behavior.

The Interactive Influence of Public Service Motivation, Perceived Reward Equity, and Prosocial Impact on Employee Engagement: A Panel Study in Pakistan
Public Management Review
December 21, 2021

This study examines independent and joint influences of public service motivation, job prosocial impact, and job reward equity on public employee engagement.

How Procedural Experiences Shape Citizens' Perceptions of and Orientations Toward Legal Institutions: Evidence From a Household Survey in Bangladesh
Review of Administrative Sciences
December 09, 2021

This study provides insight about how institutional context and experiences shape citizens' perceptions about procedural fairness and trust and confidence in legal institutions.

Should Managers Provide General or Specific Ethical Guidelines to Employees: Insights from a Mixed Methods Study
Journal of Business Ethics
September 01, 2021

Professor Russell Hassan contributes to our understanding of how communication of ethical guidelines by managers may reduce the likelihood of employee unethical behavior.

When do Women Receive Managerial Support? The Effects of Gender Congruence and the Quality of Manager-Employee Relationship
Public Management Review
June 07, 2021

Professor Russell Hassan examines the impact of manager-employee gender similarity on supportive leadership behaviors by public managers.

Gender and Prosecutorial Discretion: An Empirical Assessment
Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory
May 16, 2020

This study examines the role of gender in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.

Gender, Race, and Experiences of Workplace Incivility in Public Organizations
Review of Public Personnel Administration
May 04, 2020

Professor Russell Hassan explores how public employees’ incivility experiences vary across social categories, specifically by gender and race.

The Behavioral Public Administration Movement: A Critical Reflection
Public Administration Review
December 09, 2019

Professor Russell Hassan discusses the behavioral public administration movement call for greater use of theories from psychology and experimental research designs to improve the rigor of public administration research.

Towards Understanding Workplace Incivility: Gender, Ethical Leadership and Personal Control
Public Management Review
November 21, 2019

This study examines the prevalence of workplace incivility and ways to reduce uncivil behavior towards women and minority groups.

Facilitating Learning to Improve Performance of Law Enforcement Workgroups: The Role of Inclusive Leadership Behavior
International Public Management Journal
October 29, 2019

Professor Russell Hassan examines how law enforcement managers may cultivate learning and improve performance of their workgroups by demonstrating inclusive leadership

The Need for Ethical Leadership in Combating Corruption
International Review of Administrative Sciences
June 04, 2019

Professor Russell Hassan empirically assesses the role of ethical leadership in reducing corruption. 

How Empowering Leadership Reduces Employee Silence in Public Organizations
Public Administration
November 18, 2018

Professor Russell Hassan provides insights into how managers may lower employee silence in government organizations.

Encouraging the Collection of Performance Data in Nonprofit Organizations: The Importance of Organizational Support for Learning
Public Performance and Management Review
October 10, 2018

Professor Russell Hassan provides insight into how to facilitate performance data collection within nonprofit organizations

Effectiveness of Broad and Specific Leadership Behaviors
Personnel Review
August 23, 2018

Professor Russell Hassan supports the idea that examining specific leader behaviors in addition to broad meta-categories can improve leadership theory, research and training.

Taking a Closer Look at the Empowerment-Performance Relationship: Evidence from Law Enforcement Organizations
Public Administration Review
June 25, 2018

Professors Jos Raadschelders and Russell Hassan examine the influence of empowering leadership practices on police officers' job performance, perceptions of managerial effectiveness, and unit performance.

Office

310A Page Hall

Expertise

Leadership; Organizational Behavior; Policing; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Criminal Justice Policy