Law Commons^™

Increasing Transparency Within City Government Using Blockchain Technology, Jennifer Ayala

Featured Student Work

When the news or a friend mentions blockchain technology, is it typically always referenced in the context of cryptocurrency? While cryptocurrencies do rely on blockchain technology to record financial transactions between people and businesses,

1 government agencies have begun testing how blockchain technology could improve the lives of constituents.2 A notable advantage of implementing blockchain technology within government, however, is that it has the possibility to prevent corruption due to its very nature.3 The City and County of San Francisco has been the latest victim of government corruption in recent years,

4 with the most recent scandal involving the indictment …

Ensuring Data Privacy In A Decentralized World: An Analysis Of The Legal Challenges And Implications Of Smart Contracts, Khusbeen Dhillon

Featured Student Work

Advances in blockchain technology have revolutionized what a contract can be: lines of code that are stored on the decentralized network, otherwise known as smart contracts. Smart contracts are self-executing agreements that automatically enforce the terms of the agreement using a series of if-then conditions. They are projected to give a better solution to traditional contracts in terms of reducing risk, reducing costs, and improving the efficiency of corporate processes. However, the transparent and immutable nature of blockchain technology imposes significant challenges regarding an individual’s right to control their personal information in the context of smart contracts. This article examines …

Enhancing Efficiency And Accessibility For Federal Trademark Protection: Leveraging Blockchain Technology For Prosecution, Maintenance, And Enforcement Processes., Julia Ashley-Burd Mainini

Featured Student Work

This paper conducts an analysis of the intersection between Blockchain Technology and Intellectual Property Law, with a specific focus on Trademark Law in the United States. It explores the potential utilization of Blockchain Technology to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of prosecution, maintenance, and enforcement processes for attorneys, applicants, and registrants. Additionally, the paper examines areas within the Lanham Act that could benefit from updates to promote the adoption of Blockchain Technology in trademark-related procedures.

The Impact Of Daos On Corporate Law: An Analysis Of Dao Frameworks And Potential Legal Implications, Rebecca Gonzalez

Featured Student Work

No abstract provided.

How Can You Defend Those People, Dean A. Strang

Politics

No abstract provided.

Argentina's Trials: New Ways Of Writing Memory, Susana Kaiser

Media Studies

The last Argentine dictatorship (1976–1983) left a legacy of an estimated 30,000 desaparecidos (disappeared people). Three decades later, the wall of impunity is now being torn down. Trials are spreading across Argentina and hundreds of repressors are being judged. These trials are public spaces for collective memory making, political arenas for competing memory battles, and forums in which new information and perspectives about what happened under state terrorism continually emerge. Through the testimonies of survivors and the claims of the defense teams we gain new knowledge about the level and scope of the human rights abuses, how the repressive apparatus …

The Impact Of Prison Arts Programs On Inmate Attitudes And Behavior: A Quantitative Evaluation, Larry Brewster

Public and Nonprofit Administration

California has been a leader in prison fine arts programs. Arts-in-Corrections, the granddaddy of them all, enjoyed a highly successful 30 year run until its closure in 2010 as a result of the state's budget crisis. This study evaluates three demonstration projects modeled after AIC, and prison theater programs offered through The Actors' Gang's Prison Project and Marin Shakespeare. Inmates from San Quentin, Soledad, New Folsom and CRC, Norco state prisons participated in the study. Pre-and Post surveys designed to measure changes in attitudes and behavior were administered at the start and finish of each 12-week arts program. The surveys …

Professorial Reflection And Practical Pedagogical Suggestions For Increasing Guided Reflection For Students In A Service-Learning Class, Kevin D. Lo

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Service-learning is an experiential pedagogy that encourages students to understand academic content through performing direct service at a community organization. While research supports the benefits of service-learning pedagogy for students, there are fewer articles to guidance to faculty on how to teach service-learning, especially to faculty who have no prior experience. As guided reflection is a central component to service-learning pedagogy, this article shares both professorial reflection on the author’s learning trajectory as well as reflections ideas from the author’s service-learning class geared towards incorporating a more reflection oriented methodology for students. Even in a class that is not service-learning …

The San Francisco Immigrant Integration Project: Findings From Community-Based Research Conducted By The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (Sfilen), San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (Sfilen)

McCarthy Center Faculty and Staff Scholarship

SFILEN conducted a two-year community research effort, the San Francisco Immigrant Integration Project (“Integration Project”). The goal of the Integration Project was to engage a broad range of stakeholders on immigrant integration issues, to document the unique needs of the immigrant community, and to propose relevant policies and practices for meaningful integration.

Empowering Women Through Recognition Of Rights To Land: Mechanisms To Strengthen Women's Rights In Vanuatu, Vijaya Nagarajan, Therese Macdermott

Theology & Religious Studies

Although the pluralist system of land tenure in Vanuatu does not directly discriminate against women, the operation of the system and contemporary interpretations of custom are increasingly marginalizing women from decision-making processes regarding land management and control. Commitment to the principles of gender equality through constitutional guarantees and the ratification of relevant international treaty obligations, while providing an appropriate legal framework for equality, have only had limited success in addressing discriminatory practices. This article analyzes alternative ways to overcome the barriers faced by women that are currently under consideration in many Pacific Island countries, including recording and registration, as well …

A Case Study: Achieving Cultural Equity Through The Lens Of Kingdon, Maria X. Martinez

McCarthy Center Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Forecasts For A Fairer Future, Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Politics

A system delivering weather details via short message service (SMS) to farmers in Kenya makes use of traditional and modern forecasting methods, alerting them to periods of heavy rain or drought. The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), a climate research institute representing seven east African countries, is working on a system using cell phones to help farmers address the negative impacts of climate change. The new system makes use of the Nganyi's traditional forecasting techniques combined with data from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD). KMD staff compile the resulting information and enter it into a database. The information …

From 1994 To 2011: Are San Francisco Commissions More Representative?, Maria X. Martinez, Esin Nacar, Aimee Nichols

McCarthy Center Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

India In 2010: Robust Economics Amid Political Stasis, Shalendra Sharma

Politics

The Congress Party, although in a strong position to improve matters in 2010, generally proved disappointing, especially in the realm of governance and public policy. However, Indian authorities did demonstrate the ability to manage the economy well in a challenging international economic climate. President Obama’s three-day trip helped to reinvigorate bilateral ties, but India’s relations with China and Pakistan remained testy.

India In 2009: Global Financial Crisis And Congress Revival, Shalendra Sharma

Politics

The past year was a momentous one for India. The country navigated through the shoals of an unprecedented global financial crisis with only modest negative impact, and successfully continued the world’s largest exercise in democracy. The 15th general election in April-May 2009 saw the venerable Congress Party return to power with a large mandate. On the external front, although ties between India and the Obama administration have been friendly, real concerns remain about the future trajectory of Indo-U.S. relations. Relations with Pakistan and China also remain testy.

Can International Law Secure Women’S Health? An Examination Of Cedaw And Its Optional Protocol, Dhrubajyoti Bhattacharya

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Governance: The Collision Of Politics And Cooperation, Richard Callahan

Public and Nonprofit Administration

Three newly created public agencies built regional rail projects in Los Angeles County from 1978 through 2002. The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, as newly created public agencies, were nothing less than experiments in regional governance. Conventional understanding of these agencies only partially explains their successes and failures. A path to improved understanding is to combine research on the politics of designing new public agencies with research on cooperation in dealing with collective action problems.

What emerges is an untold story of American politics: the evolution of mechanisms …

Resolving Sovereign Debt: Collective Action Clauses Or The Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism, Shalendra Sharma

Politics

When sovereign debt restructuring or debt reduction becomes unavoidable, what is the appropriate regime that can provide for an orderly restructuring, while at the same time protecting the rights of both creditors and the debtor? The recent wave of sovereign default has underscored the limits of the current market-based regime. Recently two alternative approaches propose a "contractual approach" by way of the introduction of collective action clauses (CAC) in bond contracts, and a "statutory approach" put forward by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which calls for the establishment of an international debt restructuring mechanism (called the sovereign debt restructuring mechanism …

Sovereign Limits And Regional Opportunities For Global Civil Society In Latin America, Elisabeth Jay Friedman, Kathryn Hochstetler, Ann Marie Clark

Politics

In this article, we evaluate whether Latin American participation in international arenas reinforces traditional divides between state and society in global politics or transforms state-society relations in ways compatible with the concept of global civil society. We examine the participation and interaction of Latin American nongovernmental organizations and states at three recent United Nations conferences: the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, and the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. We conclude that Latin Americans are full participants in any emerging global civil society. Their experiences at the 1990s issue conferences closely …

Constructing The New International Financial Architecture: What Role For The Imf?, Shalendra Sharma

Politics

No abstract provided.

Paradoxes Of Gendered Political Opportunity In The Venezuelan Transition To Democracy, Elisabeth Jay Friedman

Politics

No abstract provided.

Markets And States In Development: India's Reformers And The East Asian Experience, Shalendra Sharma

Politics

No abstract provided.

"If He Speaks Italian It's Better": Metapragmatics In Court, Marco Jacquemet

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.