Governance, Technology, and the Search for Modernity in Kenya

An ICT policy that produces broad access quickly is better than one that does not. Accordingly, success in ICT policymaking can be measured by three empirical measures: speed of passage, scope of implementation, and distribution, as well as one normative measure, process. Process represents an important normative dimension of ICT policymaking. Process measures the extent to which the ICT policymaking involves the citizenry, as represented by individuals, civil society groups, local private sector groups, and ideally, urban and rural residents ( wananchi ). Kenya is a case of slow speed of passage, low scope of implementation, low distribution, but high process. The political history of Kenya\u27s ICT policymaking explains why this county, with such capable people and relatively open ICT policymaking, has struggled to keep up with its poorer neighbors

The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act: A Well Built Fence or Barbed Wire around the Intellectual Commons

The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) is a proposed state contract law developed to regulate transactions in intangible goods such as computer software, online databases and other digital products.\u27 UCITA was intended to act as Article 2B of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). Article 2 comprises the law governing commercial transactions in the sale of goods and ensures consistent contract laws from state to state. The stated goal of UCITA is to provide clarity regarding computer information transactions

Dustbowl Waters: Doctrinal and Legislative Solutions to Save the Ogallala Aquifer before both Time and Water Run Out

Eighty-three years after the Dust Bowl, residents of America’s High Plains face a dire threat: their primary aquifer faces depletion, and entire sections of the country are set to run out of groundwater by the end of the century or sooner. The Ogallala Aquifer provides a significant amount of America’s agricultural irrigation water and is a primary source of drinking water for Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. This Article argues that policymakers should slow the Aquifer’s depletion rate by implementing changes to irrigation technology, crop choice, consumer behavior, legal doctrine, and legislation. This Article recommends specific legislative and legal solutions. First, the 2020 Farm Bill should expand water conservation incentives through voluntary metering and withdrawal limits, improved irrigation equipment investments, and high-water crop subsidy eliminations. Second, policymakers should encourage long-term planning through doctrinal changes, such as changing the “safe-yield” time horizon from decades to centuries. Third, Congress should empanel a National Aquifer Commission to spearhead collective management of this precious resource. Fourth, state and federal entities should work together to coordinate both information-gathering processes and reporting on groundwater depletion

Dustbowl Waters: Doctrinal and Legislative Solutions to Save the Ogallala Aquifer Before Both Time and Water Run Out

Eighty-three years after the Dust Bowl, residents of America\u27s High Plains face a dire threat: their primary aquifer faces depletion, and entire sections of the country are set to run out of groundwater by the end of the century or sooner. The Ogallala Aquifer provides a significant amount of America\u27s agricultural irrigation water and is a primary source of drinking water for Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. This Article argues that policymakers should slow the Aquifer\u27s depletion rate by implementing changes to irrigation technology, crop choice, consumer behavior, legal doctrine, and legislation. This Article recommends specific legislative and legal solutions. First, the 2020 Farm Bill should expand water conservation incentives through voluntary metering and withdrawal limits, improved irrigation equipment investments, and high-water crop subsidy eliminations. Second, policymakers should encourage long-term planning through doctrinal changes, such as changing the safe-yield time horizon from decades to centuries. Third, Congress should empanel a National Aquifer Commission to spearhead collective management of this precious resource. Fourth, state and federal entities should work together to coordinate both information gathering processes and reporting on groundwater depletio

Oklahoma Renewable Energy Policy Encounters a COVID Roadblock: 2019-2020

On the road to energy security, independence, and success, this past year Oklahoma has seen “construction” projects in the works. Renewable energy, however, hit a major roadblock in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, Oklahoma produced most of its electricity through coal and natural gas. In the past decade, renewable sources like wind and solar energy represent a growing segment of electricity generation in the state. In 2019 and 2020, Oklahoma developed a stronger renewable energy policy by enacting legislation, passing administrative decisions, and passing local city ordinances

Consumer Willingness-To-Pay for a Resilient Electrical Grid

The research objective is to estimate consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for electricity grid fortification. Data are from a representative survey of Oklahoma citizens. Extreme weather events, aging utility infrastructure, increased demand for affordable energy, and terrorism threaten the safety and security of the way most citizens access electricity. This study is a first look at public willingness to support energy grid security measures in the United States Southern Great Plains. Findings suggest that consumers would pay an additional $14.69 in monthly utility bills for a fortified grid. This WTP estimate is close to a recent energy bill hike of$14 initiated by local electricity providers. The findings provide policymakers and energy providers with information on consumer willingness to support efforts to modernize the current grid