Bringing America Up to Speed: States' Role in Expanding Broadband

Describes innovative state programs to expand access to high-quality, high-speed broadband; the National Broadband Plan -- a partnership of state, federal, and local governments; providers; and nonprofits -- and roles and challenges for states

What Documentary Films Teach Us About the Criminal Justice System - Introduction

Film . . . has been used effectively to shape public perceptions about the criminal justice system. . . . [and] the documentary form has power to convict or release a defendant, as well as to disclose the positive and negative aspects of the criminal justice system. . . . Three articles on this subject appear in this issue of the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAW JOURNAL OF RACE, RELIGION, GENDER AND CLASS and add to this body of scholarship. . . .Our goal was to foster a series of dialogues among and between a number of individuals: filmmakers...

A Few Random Thoughts About Socio-Economic Rights in the United States in Light of the 2008 Financial Meltdown

Socio-economic rights, first articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) sixty years ago, are regaining currency. Legal practitioners around the world, emboldened by emerging constitutional democracies in Eastern Europe and South Africa that constitutionalized socio-economic rights, are actively seeking to enforce these rights. The UDHR reaffirm [ed] faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and served as the basis for the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Among those rights included in the Covenant are housing, food, and healthcare

Working for the few: political capture and economic inequality

Introduction: Almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population, and seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years. The World Economic Forum has identified economic inequality as a major risk to human progress, impacting social stability within countries and threatening security on a global scale. This massive concentration of economic resources in the hands of fewer people presents a real threat to inclusive political and economic systems, and compounds other inequalities – such as those between women and men. Left unchecked, political institutions are undermined and governments overwhelmingly serve the interests of economic elites – to the detriment of ordinary people. In this paper, Oxfam shows how extreme inequality is not inevitable, with examples of policies from around the world which have reduced inequality and developed more representative politics, benefiting all, both rich and poor. Oxfam calls on leaders at the 2014 World Economic Forum at Davos to make the commitments needed to counter the growing tide of inequality

The state of state and local government finance

This paper provides an overview of the state-local government sector, a review of the short-run impact of the 2007-09 recession on state and local governments, and a brief summary of key long-run challenges state and local governments will encounter in the next decade. State and local governments in aggregate represent about one-seventh of the U.S. economy, with education and welfare (mostly Medicaid) accounting for more than half. These governments currently face nearly unprecedented fiscal turmoil as a result of the recent recession. Even after the economy recovers, states and localities will face challenges both to improve effectiveness and efficiency in public service provision and to generate revenue sufficient to fund these crucial public services.Municipal finance ; State finance ; Fiscal policy

A Cautionary Tale: The True Cost of Austerity and Inequality in Europe

European austerity programmes have dismantled the mechanisms that reduce inequality and enable equitable growth. With inequality and poverty on the rise, Europe is facing a lost decade. An additional 15 to 25 million people across Europe could face the prospect of living in poverty by 2025 if austerity measures continue. Oxfam knows this because it has seen it before. The austerity programmes bear a striking resemblance to the ruinous structural adjustment policies imposed on Latin America, SouthEast Asia, and sub-Saharan African in the 1980s and 1990s. These policies were a failure: a medicine that sought to cure the disease by killing the patient. They cannot be allowed to happen again. Oxfam calls on the governments of Europe to turn away from austerity measures and instead choose a path of inclusive growth that delivers better outcomes for people, communities, and the environment

Tough Decisions and Limited Options: How Philadelphia and Other Cities Are Balancing Budgets in a Time of Recession

Compares the budget gaps, the budget cuts, and proposed tax increases brought on by the economic downturn in twelve cities nationwide with those of Philadelphia. Examines workforce reductions, cuts in services, and income and property tax and fee hikes

Consumer protection in the shadow of the global financial crisis - a study on the way forward of consumer protection in European Union, Republic of Moldova and P.R. of China -

As could be expected, the global financial crisis is on everybody’s mind and causing a lot of worries. The current crisis has reached the consumers globally and intensified conversations about consumer protection. It has threatened their wealth as people have lost their assets, savings and they are facing major concerns about their future stability. This financial crisis began with a failure to protect consumers. Effective, affirmative and preventative consumer protection needs to be a major part of the global solution. This paperwork intends to make a contribution to those debates by addressing a few specific questions: Did a lack of consumer protection cause the financial crisis? Who is likely to benefit from this present financial crisis, and who is likely to lose out? How can countries design appropriate formal coordination policy and mechanisms between their central governments and other relevant consumer regulatory agencies? The approaches recommended by the paperwork are built upon the premise that national governments cannot be effective in isolation, and ultimately depend on collaboration with other regulatory agencies to effectively fulfill their mandate of consumer protection, price transparency, economic and financial stability. Additionally, this paper reviews documentation and some relevant research, articles, proposals that relates on the one side regarding consumers in the evolving reform of the consumer protection regime after the global financial crisis and on the other side to help understand the how consumer protection watchdogs can best respond.Consumer protection, Financial Crisis, Policy Implications

China\u27s Unethical Economic Development Practices

The purpose of this research paper is to inform the public about some of the unethical economic development practices that China is performing with their citizens and global partners. These activities include escalating the national GDP at the detriment of their citizens through forced relocations in order to build new cities, dividing families with harmful public policies, and the imbalance between their citizens’ annual earnings and housing costs. Also discussed is the environmental pollution of the air, water, and soil, and poorly treating their international constituents when asked to provide consulting services to their nation

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

[Excerpt] The terrorist attacks of 2001 focused attention on the U.S.-Canadian border. Several bilateral initiatives have been undertaken to minimize disruption to commerce from added border security. The focus on the border has renewed interest in some quarters in greater economic integration, either through incremental measures such as greater regulatory cooperation or potentially larger goals such as a customs or monetary union. Congressional interest has focused mostly on trade disputes, and also on the ability of the two nations to continue their traditional volume of trade with heightened security on the border