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Full-Text Articles in Law

It's Time For A Public Option In Banking, Mehrsa Baradaran Nov 2015

It's Time For A Public Option In Banking, Mehrsa Baradaran

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Associate Professor Mehrsa Baradaran published this article in The Harvard Law Record on November 16, 2015. It discusses how post offices can provide ordinary citizens with banking services.


How The Us Post Office Can Save America—And Itself, Matt Phillips Nov 2015

How The Us Post Office Can Save America—And Itself, Matt Phillips

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Professor Mehrsa Baradaran is interviewed by Quartz on her thoughts about postal banking.


If The U.S. Government Treated Poor People As Well As It Treats Banks, Mehrsa Baradaran Oct 2015

If The U.S. Government Treated Poor People As Well As It Treats Banks, Mehrsa Baradaran

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One of the great ironies in modern America is that the less money you have, the more you pay to use it. The country’s “unbanked” must pay high fees to fringe banks to turn their paychecks into cash, pay their monthly bills, or send money to a spouse or a child. The unbanked pay much of their income—up to 10 percent—just to use their money. For these families, the total price of simple financial services each month is more than they spend on food. Indeed, it is very expensive to be poor. This article makes a proposal, transform underused post …


Postal Banking: A Lifesaver For America's Poor, Mehrsa Baradaran Sep 2015

Postal Banking: A Lifesaver For America's Poor, Mehrsa Baradaran

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If banks are not providing credit to the poor, the state should provide it directly.The existing post office framework represents the most promising path toward effectuating such a public option. American banks long ago deserted their most impoverished communities, but post offices, even two centuries later, have remained — still rooted in an egalitarian mission. There have never been barriers to entry at post offices, and their services have been available to all, regardless of income.


From The Fuggers To Justice Ginsburg, Nathan B. Oman Apr 2015

From The Fuggers To Justice Ginsburg, Nathan B. Oman

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No abstract provided.


Hold The Champagne On Ge Capital's Breakup, Mehrsa Baradaran Apr 2015

Hold The Champagne On Ge Capital's Breakup, Mehrsa Baradaran

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General Electric announced last week plans to sell off the bulk of its financing arm, GE Capital. Some have claimed that this move is a win for regulators trying to curb "too big to fail" conglomerates and suggested it's a sign that financial reform is working. I'm not so sure. I think it just means that the conglomerates left standing are now even more homogeneous and risk-prone.


Maggie Walker's Bank, Mehrsa Baradaran Feb 2015

Maggie Walker's Bank, Mehrsa Baradaran

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Maggie Walker was the first woman of any race to own a bank. What makes this achievement remarkable is that she was born in 1867 to a former slave in Richmond, Va. Her mother was widowed and left destitute when her father was murdered. She and her mother survived by doing laundry for whites families in the area, an experience that shaped her understanding of wealth and race inequality. But Maggie was a brilliant student and finished high school at 16. She became a teacher, but was forced to quit when she married as it was unlawful for married women …