Digital Commons Network^™

The Best We Can Hope For: The Irony Of The Best Interest Standard, Alesondra Cruz

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Laws are often designed with an eye toward precision. Specific words are chosen, others deliberately removed, with each revision seeking to bring a rule closer to its intended purpose. Despite this deliberate process, even the most curated laws at times fail to serve their intended ends, and instead become sources of harm. This reality, unfortunate and unavoidable, is the irony of law.

This tension is particularly evident in the context of family law, where negative ramifications are felt personally and intimately, and in child custody cases, where the stakes are incredibly high. The best interest of the child standard was …

Catalogs, 2025-2026, Anderson University - South Carolina

Catalogs

The 2025-2026 graduate & undergraduate academic catalog and introduction to the university.

Gold & Blue Law Edition, Fall 2025, St. Mary's University - San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue Law Edition

This is the Fall 2025 edition of Gold & Blue Law Edition which is St. Mary's University's official School of Law publication.

Suffolk University Alumni Magazine, Fall 2025, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Magazine

No abstract provided.

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Convergence Of Competition Law And Constitutional Rights: A Comparative Study Of The Whatsapp (India) And Facebook (Germany) Cases, Anush Ganesh, Krusha Bhatt

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

As society advances toward a digital economy with increasing dependence on internet-based services, data has attained prominence as an essential currency supporting market power. This paper examines the emerging jurisprudence on excessive data collection by dominant digital platforms, comparing approaches developed in India and the European Union. The Indian approach, exemplified by the WhatsApp Privacy (2025) decision, integrates competition law with constitutional protections, particularly the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Meanwhile, the European approach, crystallized in the Facebook Germany case, integrates competition law with data protection principles enshrined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). …

Competitive Harms Of Unfair Commercial Practices In The E-Commerce Platforms Market: The Way Forward For Asean, Mei Fei Lee, Tze Chin Ong

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

The intricacies of unfair commercial practices within the e-commerce platforms market highlight a critical and urgent necessity for an evolution in both consumer protection and competition laws. As new consumer vulnerabilities emerge or existing ones are exacerbated in e-commerce, effective rules are needed to better protect consumers, govern businesses and regulate a healthy competitive dynamic in the market. This article examines the interplay between consumer protection law and competition law in addressing unfair commercial practices of e-commerce platforms. The large-scale deployment of unfair commercial practices by e-commerce platforms may result in anti-competitive effects, thereby undermining fair and effective market competition. …

Engr 597: Special Projects In Engineering Science - Data Analytics, Ali Behnood Ph.D., P.E., M., Asce

GMAS Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Bride Abduction In Rural Ethiopia: A Multilevel Analysis Of Influences, Impact, And Intervention Strategies, Sydney Dragovich

Global Studies Senior Capstone

Bride abduction in rural Ethiopia is a harmful traditional practice that often goes unchallenged by both communities and law enforcement. This paper provides a multilevel analysis of legal frameworks, cultural influences, and socioeconomic factors sustaining the practice, and discusses the far-reaching impact on affected individuals and communities. Examining interventions that have successfully addressed gender-based violence in other contexts suggests that multicomponent community mobilization, improved procedural frameworks, and engagement with local leaders are essential to effectively addressing bride abduction in rural Ethiopia.

Motives And Community Energy: What Determines Participation In The U.S. And E.U., Belinda Litchtenfeld

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

The shift to renewable energies has become a critical means of addressing the climate crisis. Community Energy (CE) has emerged as a ‘bottom-up’ transition to achieve decarbonization within a localized environment. The aim of this paper is to compare the motivations and framings of rural CE projects in the United States and European Union. The paper will compare the case of Loess Wind Farm, located in Rock Port, Missouri, with the Cedillo Solar Community in Caceres, Spain to determine how sociotechnical visions are shaped by the challenges facing communities. The elements of sociotechnical visions- meanings, knowings, doings, and organizings- as …

The Catholic Church As A Model Of Minority Religious Relations In Morocco, Valli Pendyala

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

In recent years, religious identity has become a locus of increasing contention as societies around the globe become more diverse. This issue has become increasingly prominent in Morocco as its population of non-Muslim migrants and foreign residents has grown and begun to challenge its many constitutional provisions limiting complete freedom of religion. The largest religious minority is Roman Catholics, but there has been minimal research on the Catholic community in Morocco. However, by analysing discrimination against Christians as defined by the Religion and State Minorities dataset and by interviewing Catholics in Morocco, I aim to address this research gap by …

The Changing Roles Of Women In Amazigh Heritage Preservation In Agadir, Madeleine Hunt

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

Amazigh culture in Morocco has frequently been conceptualized as a rural phenomenon due to the repression of  “Amazighness” in urban settings. However, Agadir, a Southern city boasting a rich Amazigh cultural life where public symbols of Indigenous identity flourish, offers a challenge to this dichotomy. This is especially true following the King’s recognition of Amazigh national heritage, the establishment of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, and the officialization of the Tamazight language, recent changes which have increasingly propelled Amazigh culture into the public and urban spheres. While past scholarship has emphasized the role of rural women as guardians of …

Embedded Aid And Organizational Vulnerability: Usaid’S Withdrawal And Moroccan Civil Society, Elsie Prince

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

This study examines the consequences of the United States’ 2025 dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USIAD) and its effects on Moroccan nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). While debates within the United States increasingly frame foreign aid as wasteful or misaligned with domestic priorities, USAID has historically served as a core instrument of U.S. geopolitical strategy and a central source of financial, technical, and institutional support for local civil society abroad. The research investigates how long-term donor-recipient relationships shape organizational vulnerability and resilience when a dominant donor abruptly withdraws. Based on qualitative fieldwork conducted in Morocco in 2025, the study …

Structural Determinants Of Pay-For-Performance: Cross-System Analyses And Implications For Switzerland's Bismarckian Model, Joyce Zhang

Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy

Rising healthcare costs in Switzerland—driven in part by incentives that reward service volume over value—have sparked interest in alternative payment models such as Pay-for-Performance (P4P). Yet Switzerland remains in the early stages of experimenting with P4P, making this a timely moment to examine how the country’s health system structure shapes the design, implementation, and feasibility of such reforms. This study investigates two gaps in the existing literature: the largely unexamined role of health system typology in conditioning P4P outcomes, and the limited understanding of how Switzerland’s Bismarckian model influences P4P adoption. Using a mixed-methods qualitative design, the study combines a …

Student-Athletes, Universities, And Society: Balancing The Symbiosis, Casey Faucon

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Elite student-athletes at prominent sports schools are locked in a symbiotic relationship with their universities and with society’s consumers of college sports. For most student-athletes, receiving the benefits of a college education and professional development in exchange for providing their skills and services through athletic participation is mutually beneficial. For these student-athletes, their relationship to the university is still, at its core, educational and professional development based. For the rarefied student-athletes in popular sports, more akin to professional athletes, the nature of their relationship to the university is not always educational. For some of these student-athletes, they attend college and …

Exploring The Role Of Transformational Leadership In The Health And Growth Of Nazarene Churches In The Africa East Field, Warren W. Rogers Iii

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The transformational leadership model is associated with positive outcomes in the follower experience, as well as in educational, healthcare, and business sectors. There is limited research on the impact of transformational leadership on church health and growth (George & Sreedharan, 2023; Kouni et al., 2018; Rahmatulloh et al., 2023; Tian & Guo, 2024). The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore how transformational leadership contributes to the health and growth of Nazarene churches in the Africa East Field (comprising Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda). Eight pastoral leaders were interviewed to share their thoughts, perspectives, …

Clark Magazine, Fall/Winter 2025, Clark University

Clark Magazine

The Fall/Winter 2025 edition of Clark Magazine. Clark Magazine is a twice-yearly publication primarily geared towards Clark University Alumni.

The cover story is 'Our Planet. Our Clark. A Special Issue', celebrating the new School of Climate, Environment, and Society.

Content Analysis Of K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment And Management (Btam) Guides: Implementing Responses To Exogenous Shocks, Sarah Schappert

Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

What information about teams, case management, reporting, information sharing, and training guidance are included in publicly available K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) guides? How does this information differ between K-12 BTAM guides created proactively versus those created reactively in response to an exogenous shock? In this thesis, I explore these questions by analyzing 30 publicly available K-12 BTAM guides. This study contributes to the sparse criminal justice literature on the use of BTAM guides, notably increasing the literature on BTAM responses to exogenous shocks. Findings indicate that although general information is usually included, specific details are often lacking. …

Beyond “A Purely Passive Servitude”:Antonio Oblitas, Casta, And Afro-Descendants In The Rebellion Of TúPac Amaru Ii, Tacuma Peters

Publications and Research

This article examines the contributions of Afro-descendants to the Túpac Amaru II rebellion in Peru. It argues that although historians have recognized the importance of race and casta in the rebellion, they have been insufficiently attentive to the complex roles that those of African descent have played. It argues that the most famous Afro-descendant, Antonio Oblitas, has often been ignored, misidentified, and minimized in his aesthetic and visual contributions to the uprising. This problematic historical approach extends to other free and enslaved men because scholars place them within the paradigm of passive (and enslaved) servitude. Furthermore, the article contends that …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacebuilding From The Diaspora, Elena B, Stavrevska, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, Kay Soe, Briana Mawby, Carolyne Komen

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Diaspora communities have long played critical roles in peacebuilding efforts in their countries of origin, yet the contributions of women within these communities remain significantly underexplored and underappreciated. This report seeks to address this gap by focusing on the unique roles, challenges and contributions of women in diaspora-led peacebuilding initiatives. Women in the diaspora — often navigating complex identities and facing distinct challenges — are vital actors in promoting peace, reconciliation and social change in their homelands.

Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, research interviews, and detailed case studies, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how diaspora women …

Law School Announcements 2025-2026, Law School Announcements Editors

Announcements

• Officers and Faculty
• The Law School - History
• Programs of Instruction
• Curriculum
• Student Activities and Organizations
• Funds and Endowments

Frameworks And Life Cycle Assessment For Reinforced Concrete Bridges For Sustainability In Transportation, Yu-Fu Ko, Jessica Gonzalez

Mineta Transportation Institute

Bridge structures are critical components of California’s transportation network, with reinforced concrete (RC) bridges being among the most widely used. Extending the lifespan of these structures can lead to significant reductions in environmental impacts. However, California’s frequent seismic activity has repeatedly exposed the vulnerability of existing RC bridges, highlighting the urgent need for seismic retrofitting and maintenance to improve infrastructure resilience against earthquakes and to increase sustainability. This research used detailed computer simulations known as nonlinear finite element models, which are highly detailed computer models, incorporating section damage indices to predict damage and assess structural deficiencies in RC bridges during …

Dipl 6180 Wb Comparative Foreign Policy, Aaron Hale Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course examines leading theoretical approaches to the study of foreign policy and their application to a variety of states and issue areas. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the key concepts necessary to address the fundamental question of foreign policy analysis: how do states define and pursue their national interests in international affairs? During the semester, we will explore some of the key debates in foreign policy analysis. Do differences in the characteristics of states (large versus small, democratic versus authoritarian, industrialized versus developing) lead to differences in their foreign policies? Or …

Dipl 3450 Comparative Homeland Security, Brendan J. Balestrieri Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course will introduce students to homeland security analysis and a survey of how different countries address internal security issues. Homeland security is a uniquely structured American concept, so fitting other nations’ policies and practices squarely into the U.S. model would not succeed. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States embarked on a wholesale reorganization of its internal security and border protection institutions. In parallel, European, and other countries largely preferred to stay with and work within their existing institutional architectures to combat terrorism and respond to other security challenges and disasters, both natural and man-made. …

Dipl 2120 International Conflict And Security, Brendan J. Balestrieri Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

The first part of this course serves as a general introduction to the study of international security, a field primarily concerned with the threat and use of force by state and non-state actors. Topics examined include the origins of major power wars, regional conflicts, terrorism, military intervention, and alliances. The second part of this course will use alliances as a lens through which to better understanding international conflict and security and will focus predominantly on the US system of Alliances in the Asia-Pacific.

Statutory Copy-Pasting In The Law Of Sovereign Immunity, Chimène I. Keitner

William & Mary Law Review

Congress sometimes copy-pastes language from one statute into another statute. While this can serve the goals of consistency and efficiency, copy-pasting can cause problems when done across disparate legal regimes, such as different sovereign immunity doctrines. When Congress enacted the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) of 1976, it borrowed language from the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) of 1946 that exempts the exercise of “discretionary functions” from tort jurisdiction. Both statutes allow private damages claims against governmental entities in defined circumstances. Despite this superficial similarity, the statutes were enacted in very different contexts and serve fundamentally different purposes. Nonetheless, courts …

The History And Tradition Of Voir Dire: Why Maryland Should Expand Its Jury Selection Procedures, Dallon Danforth

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Maryland’S Voir Dire Reform: The 2025 Pilot Program And The Path Toward Fairer Juries, David A. Harak, Patrice M. Clarke

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

The Right To Rest: An Examination Of Maryland’S Patchwork Laws On Sepulcher, Burial Grounds, Human Remains, Derek Van De Walle

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Zero Textbook Low Cost Syllabus For English 2100 (Writing 1), Anne Grevenitis

Open Educational Resources

In English 2100, our focus will be on autoethnography as a genre of writing. To write an autoethnography is to examine the value of the personal and use traditional modes of research to flesh out the narrative of the self. Through diverse research methods (interviews and site observation) and a multiple-step writing process (journaling, drafting and peer reviewing), your autoethnography should make a substantive contribution, have aesthetic merit, have reflexivity, make an impact, and express a reality.