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LPE Blog
Symposium

The Colleges are Alright

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Despite the outsized attention they receive, “Ivy Plus” schools are ultimately a footnote in the larger story of higher education. The American system, while stratified, developed in such a way that stratification does not forestall opportunity. To understand this situation, we need to look back at a (failed) crusade to restrict access to college.
Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup: June 7

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Maryam Jamshidi on the securitization of the university, and Sarena Martinez on the quasi-sovereign power of insurers. Plus, a handful of must-attend LSA panels and events (including our happy hour!), a new report by Sabeel Rahman on State Capacity, Tim Wu and Lev Menand on the FTC’s non-compete ban, the first LPE NYC happy hour of the summer, an. . .
Symposium

Facing the Quasi-Sovereignty of Insurers

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Insurers are quasi-sovereign actors that can determine the price and terms of economic inclusion. State insurance commissioners have little leverage over insurers that threaten to withdraw coverage when faced with unfavorable regulations. The story of Prop 103 in California suggests that popular mobilization might serve as a counterweight to insurers’ power.. . .
Symposium

Securitizing the University

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At both the state and federal level, there are legislative efforts underway to depict students, faculty, and the university itself as potential enemies of the U.S. national security state that must be disciplined and controlled. If enacted, these laws will upend how universities function, who they welcome, and how they teach their students.
Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup: May 31

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William Boyd on our broken system of toxics regulation, and Zac Taylor on the limits of property insurance in Florida. Plus, a new paper by Sanjukta Paul on labor law and the firm, an interview with Mehrsa Baradaran about her new book, a policy report by Suzanne Kahn on investing in the care economy, and a review of Aziz Rana’s The Constitutional Bind. . .
Essay

How Environmental Law Created a World Awash in Toxic Chemicals

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Of the estimated 350,000 chemicals now on the global market, only a handful have been properly tested. And as the looming crises with forever chemicals and micro-plastics make clear, we are only just beginning to grasp the enormous toll that these novel entities are taking on human health. How did our environmental law allow this to happen? And what can. . .
Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup: May 24

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Kate Andrias on labor’s constitutional vision, Kate Yoon on the LPE of insurance, and Anthony O’Rourke, Guyora Binder, and Rick Su on municipal insurers as an obstacle to democratic control over policing. Plus, the next session of What To Do About Those Pesky Courts with Ryan Doerfler, Aslı Bâli talks international law and Israel-Palestine, Karen. . .
Essay

Labor’s Constitutional Vision in the Face of Capital’s Attack

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Presented with a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, corporations and right-wing trade associations have launched a series of constitutional challenges to worker rights. In response, workers are putting forward a fundamentally different vision for our economy and society — an alternative not only to business’s right-wing constitution but. . .
Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup: May 17

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Jeff Gordon clarifies the debate over derisking, while Davarian Baldwin examines how universities monetize their tax-exempt status. Plus, an upcoming session of our hit series What To Do About the Courts (with Ryan Doerfler), a new issue of the JLPE, Adam Gaffney on supply-side healthcare, Josh Eidelson on prison labor in Alabama, and Tim Barker on what. . .
Essay

Can Subsidies Discipline Capital?

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The Biden Administration’s recent foray into industrial policy relies heavily on voluntary inducements to push firms to invest in renewable energy technology and domestic manufacturing. Some observers argue that this approach, commonly known as “derisking,” will yield paltry results: firms will pursue the same priorities they would have. . .