Continental divide : how did the European debt crisis become so severe?

Related links: http://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/region_focus/2010/q3/feature1_weblinks.cfmEconomic conditions ; European Union countries ; Debt

Research spotlight : What immigration means for the economy

Related links : http://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/region_focus/2010/q2/research_spotlight_weblinks.cfmLabor market ; Immigrants

Allocating Resources within a Big City School District: New York City after Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. New York

In this brief we take a closer look at the mechanisms used to distribute resources across public schools. We first present what we know about the current distribution of educational resources within New York City and other large city districts. Then we discuss current efforts to promote greater equity in the distribution of resources and improve student performance. We conclude with lessons and policy implications for New York State as it implements the CFE decision in New York City. These findings also apply toother large districts in the state, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany. Our focus in this brief is on vertical equity--ensuring that schools serving students with different levels of need receive appropriately different levels of resources--rather than adequacy. But the two concepts are closely related. If we ensure that students with a variety of needs have ample resources to achieve agreed upon educational goals, we will achieve both school-level adequacy and vertical equity.intradistrict resource allocation; interdistrict resource allocation; vertical equity; across-school disparities; school-based funding; weighted student funding.

The effects of local demographic characteristics and state-level legislation on foreclosure rates

Problems in the housing sector have prompted research into the causes of default by borrowers. The terms of the loans that were made, the characteristics of borrowers, and local economic conditions, among other factors, all contributed significantly to differences in default rates. State-level legislation may also have played a role by making it more costly for lenders in some states to proceed to foreclose on defaulted mortgages.Housing ; Foreclosure ; Mortgage loans

Upfront : Regional news at a glance.

Taxation ; State finance ; Revenue

Building capacity for evidence-based public health: Reconciling the pulls of practice and the push of research

Timely implementation of principles of evidence-based public health (EBPH) is critical for bridging the gap between discovery of new knowledge and its application. Public health organizations need sufficient capacity (the availability of resources, structures, and workforce to plan, deliver, and evaluate the preventive dose of an evidence-based intervention) to move science to practice. We review principles of EBPH, the importance of capacity building to advance evidence-based approaches, promising approaches for capacity building, and future areas for research and practice. Although there is general agreement among practitioners and scientists on the importance of EBPH, there is less clarity on the definition of evidence, how to find it, and how, when, and where to use it. Capacity for EBPH is needed among both individuals and organizations. Capacity can be strengthened via training, use of tools, technical assistance, assessment and feedback, peer networking, and incentives. Modest investments in EBPH capacity building will foster more effective public health practice

Community Property

Covers cases on the right of survivorship in joint tenancy bank accounts

Former Jeopardy on Retrial

The Supreme Court of the United States, in Green v. United States, was for the first time squarely presented with a much-debated and much-litigated question involving former jeopardy. Defendant Green was indicted on two counts, the first alleging arson and the second, the death of a woman resulting from that arson. If the defendant were guilty of arson and the arson caused the death of the woman, it would clearly amount to murder in the first degree under the felony-murder doctrine, as provided in Washington, D.C., Code 22-2401. The trial court, mistakenly believing that second degree murder was a lesser-included offense, as is the usual case, instructed the jury that they might find the defendant guilty of either first or second degree murder. The jury found the defendant guilty of arson and second degree murder. On appeal, the defendant challenged only the conviction of second degree murder. This verdict was reversed upon the grounds of insufficient evidenc