Law Commons^™

Transparency Deserts, Christina Koningisor

Northwestern University Law Review

Few contest the importance of a robust transparency regime in a democratic system of government. In the United States, the “crown jewel” of this regime is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Yet despite widespread agreement about the importance of transparency in government, few are satisfied with FOIA. Since its enactment, the statute has engendered criticism from transparency advocates and critics alike for insufficiently serving the needs of both the public and the government. Legal scholars have widely documented these flaws in the federal public records law.

In contrast, scholars have paid comparatively little attention to transparency laws at the …

Insuring Takings Claims, Christopher Serkin

Northwestern University Law Review

Local governments typically insure themselves against all kinds of losses, from property damage to legal liability. For small- and medium-sized governments, this usually means purchasing insurance from private insurers or participating in municipal risk pools. Insurance for regulatory takings claims, however, is generally unavailable. This previously unnoticed gap in municipal insurance coverage could lead risk averse local governments to underregulate and underenforce existing regulations where property owners threaten to bring takings claims. This seemingly technical observation turns out to have profound implications for theoretical accounts of the Takings Clause that focus on government regulatory incentives. This Article explores the impact …

A Finger In The Dike? An Examination Of The Efficacy Of State And Federal Attempts To Use Law To Stem Outsourcing, Beverley Earle, Geralk A. Madek, Christina Madek

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Many people, not just in the United States, are concerned about the implications of this growth in outsourcing for the future of business. State governments in particular are trying to stop outsourcing and are using the law as a means to do so. However, are these attempts, which are variants of the old "buy American" programs, doomed to be ineffective and ultimately protectionist, without really protecting American business? This paper will examine the developments of offshoring, outsourcing, and insourcing in Part II. Part III examines both state and federal legal efforts to restrict this growth. Part IV examines the WTO …