Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Law

Parliamentary Oversight Of The Executive In India, Anirudh Burman Oct 2012

Parliamentary Oversight Of The Executive In India, Anirudh Burman

Anirudh Burman

The need for a strong monitoring mechanism of the executive in India has been made clearer by recent allegations of corruption against high-ranking officials of the central government. The Indian Parliament is the ideal institution to perform such a monitoring function through oversight of the central executive. The executive in India is directly accountable to the Parliament. Making oversight by Parliament stronger and more effective would therefore increase the accountability of the executive. Additionally, an increased oversight role would allow for greater policy inputs from Parliament to the executive. It would also increase the general level of expertise within Parliament …


Agricultural Secrecy: Going Dark Down On The Farm: How Legalized Secrecy Gives Agribusiness A Federally Funded Free Ride, Rena I. Steinzor, Yee Huang Sep 2012

Agricultural Secrecy: Going Dark Down On The Farm: How Legalized Secrecy Gives Agribusiness A Federally Funded Free Ride, Rena I. Steinzor, Yee Huang

Rena I. Steinzor

This briefing paper examines the agricultural secrecy granted by section 1619 of the 2008 Farm Bill, its implications for transparency and oversight, and its impact on other federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In an era of fiscal responsibility, tight budgets, and increasing pressure on the environment, the public has a right to know whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making the best decisions about how to allocate public funds. Each year, agricultural producers in the United States receive billions of dollars in federal payments: crop subsidies, crop insurance, conservation payments, disaster payments, loans, …


Drones And Democracy: Missing Out On Accountability?, Benjamin R. Farley Aug 2012

Drones And Democracy: Missing Out On Accountability?, Benjamin R. Farley

Benjamin R Farley

This article examines whether unmanned aerial vehicles (“drones”) allow the U.S. executive branch to make use-of-force decisions that escape accountability. It identifies three accountability mechanisms that should constrain use-of-force decisions: political accountability; fiscal and supervisory accountability; and legal accountability. It examines the effectiveness of these accountability mechanisms in the abstract and how the unique features of drones interact with these mechanisms. Finally, this article suggests that drones exacerbate preexisting weaknesses in the accountability system governing U.S. use-of-force decisions, potentially leading to unaccountable use-of-force decisions which, in turn, are likely to be riskier and may increase the likelihood of policy failure.


Ensuring Public Trust At The Municipal Level: Inspectors General Enter The Mix, Patricia E. Salkin, Zachary Kansler Jul 2012

Ensuring Public Trust At The Municipal Level: Inspectors General Enter The Mix, Patricia E. Salkin, Zachary Kansler

Patricia E. Salkin

Although federal, state and local government officials are subject to applicable codes of ethical conduct and are under the jurisdiction of ethics enforcement agencies created pursuant to these laws, ethics oversight agencies are limited in the breadth and scope of covered activities. With an increase in reported allegations of corruption, particularly at the local government level, this article explores the addition of the audit function, through inspectors general, to ensure greater transparency and accountability of public officials. The article begins with a very brief historical overview of the emergence of the inspector general concept in Europe and its adoption in …


Manure In The Bay: A Report On Industrial Animal Agriculture In Maryland And Pennsylvania, Rena I. Steinzor, Yee Huang Jun 2012

Manure In The Bay: A Report On Industrial Animal Agriculture In Maryland And Pennsylvania, Rena I. Steinzor, Yee Huang

Rena I. Steinzor

This report provides a substantive and detailed look at the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) and other animal feeding operations (AFO) programs in Maryland and Pennsylvania, as well as a general overview of the federal CAFO program. The information in this report was gathered through publicly available resources as well as a series of interviews with agency officials and other individuals who work with the animal agricultural sector. This report identifies concrete and practical recommendations for improving how the waste generated by animal industrial agriculture is managed and controlled by EPA, the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), and the Pennsylvania …


The Benefits Of Capture, Dorit R. Reiss Feb 2012

The Benefits Of Capture, Dorit R. Reiss

Dorit R. Reiss

Observers of the administrative state warn against “capture” of administrative agencies and lament its disastrous effects. This article suggests that the term “capture”, applied to a close relationship between industry and regulator, is not useful—by stigmatizing that relationship, judging it as problematic from the start, it hides its potential benefits. The literature on “capture” highlights its negative results—lax enforcement of regulation; weak regulations; illicit benefits going to industry. This picture, however, is incomplete and in substantial tension with another current strand of literature which encourages collaboration between industry and regulator. The collaboration literature draws on the fact that industry input …


The New Guiding Principles On Business And Human Rights’ Contribution In Ending The Divisive Debate Over Human Rights Responsibilities Of Companies: Is It Time For An Icj Advisory Opinion?, Jean-Marie Kamatali Jan 2012

The New Guiding Principles On Business And Human Rights’ Contribution In Ending The Divisive Debate Over Human Rights Responsibilities Of Companies: Is It Time For An Icj Advisory Opinion?, Jean-Marie Kamatali

Jean-Marie Kamatali

ABSTRACT: In March 2011, John Ruggie, the UN Secretary General Special Representative on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises (“SRSG”) released his final report on Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The new standards proposed by the SRSG are based on three pillars: the state duty to protect, the corporate responsibility to respect and the access to remedy principle. This report was ordered in 2005 by the then UN Commission on Human Rights (now Human Rights Council) in order to “ to move beyond what had been a long-standing and deeply divisive debate …


Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper Dec 2011

Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper

Andrew Popper

Stolen information technology (IT) is a domestic and global problem. Theft of IT by upstream producers has a pernicious effect on the competitive market and violates fundamental policies designed to protect those who create and invent such assets. Companies profiting from stolen IT are not just free-riding on the successes of those who design and produce the products and ideas that are a driving force in the U.S. economy – they are destabilizing rational pricing and distorting lawful competition by virtue of outright theft. Current legal recourse is insufficient to address such misconduct; new approaches are needed at the state …


Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper Dec 2011

Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper

Andrew Popper

Stolen information technology (IT) is a domestic and global problem. Theft of IT by upstream producers has a pernicious effect on the competitive market and violates fundamental policies designed to protect those who create and invent such assets. Companies profiting from stolen IT are not just free-riding on the successes of those who design and produce the products and ideas that are a driving force in the U.S. economy – they are destabilizing rational pricing and distorting lawful competition by virtue of outright theft. Current legal recourse is insufficient to address such misconduct; new approaches are needed at the state …