Family Choice: The Next Step in the Quest for Equal Educational Opportunity?

Various policy issues surrounding educational voucher plans are explored: Who would provide schools under such plans? What rules would govern enrollment (including concerns about one-race schools)? What variety of schooling should be permitted and how would they be evaluated? Voucher plans are compared with other related educational reforms in particular, school finance reform. Federal efforts to experiment with voucher plans are discussed in an Appendix

Charter School Funding Issues

Although a great deal has been written about charter schools, rather little attention has been given to their funding. The first part of this article raises four current issues in the funding of regular public schools across the U.S. and shows how these issues carry over to the funding of charter schools. The second part explores four additional issues that have arisen in the funding of charter schools that go to the core identity of charter schools and the nature of the students they enroll. In both parts, extra attention is paid to developments in California, one of the most active charter school states

Quebec's Comprehensive Auto No-Fault Scheme and the Failure of Any of the United States to Follow

Même si le régime québécois d'assurance automobile constitue un modèle à suivre depuis 20 ans, aucun État américain n'a encore adopté un système d'indemnisation qui s'en approche. Le présent texte expose les raisons qui expliquent cet échec, tant en Californie qu'ailleurs aux États-Unis. Il fait ressortir les facteurs propres à ce dernier pays, qui permettent de distinguer la situation américaine de celle des provinces canadiennes, en particulier le Québec ; 1) Facteurs politiques — le pouvoir des avocats qui représentent les victimes, la situation dans laquelle se retrouvent les assureurs et le mode d'organisation des gouvernements ; 2) Les perceptions du public — méfiance à l'égard du gouvernement, des compagnies d'assurance et de la promesse d'une réduction des primes d'assurance automobile ; 3) Les traditions — l'individualisme américain et le faible degré de pénétration d'une idée de responsabilité collective ; 4) Compromis—abandonner le système américain de responsabilité civile implique la renonciation à plus de choses qu'ailleurs dans le monde ; 5) Considérations d'ordre général — craintes au niveau de la sécurité routière, des coûts et de l’« effet d'entraînement ». Enfin, l'auteur examine la possibilité qu'un ou plusieurs États américains puissent, à l'avenir, élaborer un système inspiré du modèle québécois.Although Quebec's no-fault auto insurance scheme has served for 20 years as an exemplary model to follow, so far not one of the United States has adopted anything even close to it. This article examines the reasons for that failure, both in California and throughout the country. Emphasis is given to several factors that stand in the way of U.S. reform and that may distinguish states in the U.S. from Canadian provinces generally and Quebec in particular: 1. State politics — the power of the lawyers who represent victims, the position of the insurers, and the structure of state government. 2. Public perceptions — negative attitudes towards government, the insurance industry, and the prospects of saving money on auto insurance premiums. 3. Traditions—the ideological strength of individualism and ideological weakness of collective responsibility. 4. Tradeoffs — doing away with the tort system means giving up more in the U.S. than elsewhere. 5. Policy concerns — fears about safety, costs, and the « slippery slope ». Finally, the possibility that one or more U.S. states might in the future evolve towards the Quebec solution is explored

California\u27s Insurance Regulation Revolution: The First Two Years of Proposition 103

In this Article, Professor Sugarman looks at the victorious insurance initiative, Proposition 103, two years after its passage by the California voters. The author first addresses the torts crises and the legislative deadlock from which the proposition and four competing initiatives emerged. Proposition 103\u27s provisions are then discussed, followed by a description of the attempts at implementation over the past two years and the battles that took place between the Insurance Commissioner, the insurance industry, and supporters of the proposition. Concluding that the goals of Proposition 103 cannot be achieved, the Article closes with an examination of several reform proposals that have recently been put forward