American Politics Commons^™

Risky Business: Effectiveness Of State Market-Based Health Programs, Christopher Stream, Nathan Myers

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Since the 1990s, state governments have been leaders of health care reform. Today, approximately 47 million people are without health insurance. As health care costs and uninsurance levels continue to rise, states are pursuing a variety of government- and market-based strategies to address this growing social problem. Health care research has indicated that state-based programs have proven to be successful in extending access to coverage. However, the question remains as to whether the market-based programs have had a positive impact on state health care. Advocates for market-based state health programs argue that the reforms benefit the greater good because they …

Presidential Control Of Administrative Agencies: A Debate Over Law Or Politics?, Cary Coglianese

Faculty Scholarship at Penn Carey Law

No abstract provided.

Haiti Needs Socialism, David E. Clark

David E Clark

Bill Clinton said that the Tsunami survivors six years ago deserved the chance to decide their own future. Haiti deserves the same hands-off approach as they rebuild after the 2010 earthquake. Aristide should be allowed to return and work with Venezuela and Cuba. If he decides to implement the same socialist reforms that have worked elsewhere in the Americas, so be it.

The Government Shareholder: Regulating Public Ownership Of Private Enterprise, Benjamin A. Templin

Benjamin A. Templin

During the subprime financial crisis of 2007-2009, the U.S. transformed its policies from a focus on privatization and deregulation to one where the government plays an active role as a market participant. By the end of the 2009 fiscal year, the U.S. government became one of the largest shareholders in the world owning a portfolio of investments valued at $959 billion. Some pundits condemned the investments as socialism. The sudden increase in the government portfolio is better understood as a Keynesian response to market failure rather than a change in the political economy. However, the dramatic increase in the government …

"An Inside-Outsider Or An Outside-Insider?: The Republican Primary Campaign Of Ron Paul From A Third-Party Perspective", Adam Chamberlain

Adam Chamberlain

No abstract provided.

Identifying Central Actors: A Network Analysis Of The 2009-2010 Health Reform Debate, Jennifer Hayes Clark, Stacey Pelika, Elizabeth Rigby

Jennifer Hayes Clark

The fragmented design of American institutions intentionally diffuses authority among political actors. As a result, tracing the (often changing) distribution of power is essential to better understanding the policymaking process. In this paper, we capitalize on the current health care debate’s multidimensionality and its high salience, as reflected in the extensive media coverage it has attracted. Through network analysis of daily news articles from five news sources that vary in approach and audience, we assess the centrality of each Member of Congress to the health care debate in general, as well as at each stage of this recent policy debate. …

The Traditional View Of Hamilton's Federalist No. 77 And An Unexpected Challenge: A Response To Seth Barrett Tillman, Jeremy D. Bailey

Jeremy D Bailey

In Federalist No. 77, Alexander Hamilton writes that the Senate's consent would be necessary to "displace" a federal executive officer. Because Hamilton is well known as a defender of executive power, this comment has long been a puzzle. Seth Barrett Tillman proposes to solve this puzzle by reading "displace" as "replace" rather than "remove." If Tillman is correct, then he would not only solve a major interpretative dilemma, but also would liberate those who argue on originalist grounds for unilateral presidential removal powers. This paper responds to Tillman's argument by considering three ways to consider Hamilton's No. 77: Contemporary evidence, …

The Traditional View Of Hamilton’S Federalist No. 77 And An Unexpected Challenge: A Response To Seth Barrett Tillman, Jeremy D. Bailey

Jeremy D Bailey

In Federalist No. 77, Alexander Hamilton writes that the Senate's consent would be necessary to "displace" a federal executive officer. Because Hamilton is well known as a defender of executive power, this comment has long been a puzzle. Seth Barrett Tillman proposes to solve this puzzle by reading "displace" as "replace" rather than "remove." If Tillman is correct, then he would not only solve a major interpretative dilemma, but also would liberate those who argue on originalist grounds for unilateral presidential removal powers. This paper responds to Tillman's argument by considering three ways to consider Hamilton's No. 77: Contemporary evidence, …

The Democratic-Republican Societies: An Educational Dream Deferred, Brian W. Dotts

Brian W Dotts

No abstract provided.

Most Claims Settle: Implications For Alternative Dispute Resolution From A Profile Of Medical Malpractice Claims In Florida, Mirya R. Holman, Neil Vidmar

Mirya R Holman

The public image of medical malpractice cases is one of a courtroom, with an injured plaintiff, lawyers, and a judge. However, the reality of malpractice claims is very different. Approaching the study of alternative dispute resolution methods for medical malpractice claims with an eye towards identifying those contexts by which the claims are resolved, this article focuses on the institutional and informal processes of resolving disputes. These processes include both statutory procedural requirements and informal settlements, many of which occur prior to the filing of a lawsuit. A profile of medical malpractice claims in Florida from 1990 through 2008, indicates …

Nanotechnology And Environmental, Health, And Safety: Issues For Consideration, John F. Sargent Jr.

Congressional Research Service Reports

Nanotechnology—a term encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology—is focused on understanding, controlling, and exploiting the unique properties of matter that can emerge at scales of one to 100 nanometers. A key issue before Congress regarding nanotechnology is how best to protect human health, safety, and the environment as nanoscale materials and products are researched, developed, manufactured, used, and discarded. While the rapidly emerging field of nanotechnology is believed by many to offer significant economic and societal benefits, some research results have raised concerns about the potential adverse environmental, health, and safety (EHS) implications of nanoscale materials.

Some have described nanotechnology …

Capturing Co2 From Coal-Fired Power Plants: Challenges For A Comprehensive Strategy, Larry Parker, Peter Folger

Congressional Research Service Reports

Any comprehensive approach to substantially reduce greenhouse gases must address the world’s dependency on coal for one-quarter of its energy demand, including almost half of its electricity demand. To maintain coal in the world’s energy mix in a carbon-constrained future would require development of a technology to capture and store its carbon dioxide emissions. This situation suggests to some that any greenhouse gas reduction program be delayed until such carbon capture technology has been demonstrated. However, technological innovation and the demands of a carbon control regime are interlinked; a technology policy is no substitute for environmental policy and should be …

Agricultural Disaster Assistance, Dennis A. Shields, Ralph M. Chite

Congressional Research Service Reports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers several permanently authorized programs to help farmers recover financially from a natural disaster, including federal crop insurance, the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), and emergency disaster loans. The federal crop insurance program is designed to protect crop producers from unavoidable risks associated with adverse weather, and weather-related plant diseases and insect infestations. Producers who grow a crop that is currently ineligible for crop insurance may be eligible for a direct payment under NAP. Under the emergency disaster (EM) loan program, when a county has been declared a disaster area by either the …

Agricultural Biotechnology: The U.S.-Eu Dispute, Charles E. Hanrahan

Congressional Research Service Reports

In May 2003, the United States, Canada, and Argentina initiated a dispute with the European Union concerning the EU’s de facto moratorium on biotechnology product approvals, in place since 1998. Although the EU effectively lifted the moratorium in May 2004 by approving a genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (MON810), the three complainants pursued the case, in part because a number of EU member states continue to block already approved biotech products. Industry estimates are that the moratorium costs U.S. corn growers some $300 million in exports to the EU annually. Corn gluten exports from the United States to the EU …

Animal Waste And Water Quality: Epa’S Response To The Waterkeeper Alliance Court Decision On Regulation Of Cafos, Claudia Copeland

Congressional Research Service Reports

In October 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a regulation to revise a 2003 Clean Water Act rule governing waste discharges from large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This action was necessitated by a 2005 federal court decision (Waterkeeper Alliance et al. v. EPA, 399 F.3d 486 (2nd Cir. 2005)), resulting from challenges brought by agriculture industry groups and environmental advocacy groups, that vacated parts of the 2003 rule and remanded other parts to EPA for clarification.

The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of pollutants from any “point source” to waters of the United States unless authorized under …

Gray Wolves Under The Endangered Species Act (Esa): Distinct Population Segments And Experimental Populations, Kristina Alexander

Congressional Research Service Reports

The wolf was among the first animals protected under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a predecessor to the current Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 1978 the gray wolf was listed as endangered in all of the conterminous 48 states except Minnesota, where it was listed as threatened. With the exception of experimental populations established in the 1990s, the protections for the gray wolf have been diminishing since that date, as wolf populations have increased in some areas. The use of distinct population segments (DPSs), a term created in the 1978 ESA amendments, has played a role in that reduced protection. …

Water Quality Issues In The 111th Congress: Oversight And Implementation, Claudia Copeland

Congressional Research Service Reports

Although much progress has been made in achieving the ambitious goals that Congress established more than 35 years ago in the Clean Water Act (CWA) to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, long-standing problems persist, and new problems have emerged. Water quality problems are diverse, ranging from pollution runoff from farms and ranches, city streets, and other diffuse or “nonpoint” sources, to toxic substances discharged from factories and sewage treatment plants.

There is little agreement among stakeholders about what solutions are needed and whether new legislation is required to address the nation’s remaining …

Biofuels Incentives: A Summary Of Federal Programs, Brent D. Yacobucci

Congressional Research Service Reports

With recent high energy prices, the passage of major energy legislation in 2005 (P.L. 109-58) and 2007 (P.L. 110-140), and the passage of a new farm bill in 2008 (P.L. 110-246), there is ongoing congressional interest in promoting alternatives to petroleum fuels. Biofuels—transportation fuels produced from plants and other organic materials—are of particular interest.

Ethanol and biodiesel, the two most widely used biofuels, receive significant government support under federal law in the form of mandated fuel use, tax incentives, loan and grant programs, and certain regulatory requirements. The 22 programs and provisions listed in this report have been established over …

Agricultural Conservation: A Guide To Programs, Megan Stubbs

Congressional Research Service Reports

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently administer over 20 programs and subprograms that are directly or indirectly available to assist producers and landowners who wish to practice conservation on agricultural lands. The number, scope, and overall funding of these programs has grown in recent years. This growth can cause some confusion over which problems and conditions each program addresses, and specific program characteristics and performance.

This tabular presentation provides basic information introducing each of the programs. In each case, a brief program description is followed by …

Asian Carp And The Great Lakes Region, Eugene H. Buck, Harold F. Upton, Charles V. Stern, James E. Nicols

Congressional Research Service Reports

Four species of non-indigenous Asian carp are expanding their range in U.S. waterways, resulting in a variety of concerns and problems. Three species—bighead, silver, and black carp—are of particular note, based on the perceived degree of environmental concern. Current controversy relates to what measures might be necessary and sufficient to prevent movement of Asian carp from the Mississippi River drainage into the Great Lakes through the Chicago Area Waterway System. Bills have been introduced in the 111th Congress to direct actions to avoid the possibility of carp becoming established in the Great Lakes.

According to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, …