Framework for Analysis of Legal Mobilization: A Decision-Making Model

The American legal system, structured in an entrepreneurial mode, relies upon the individual actor to personally evaluate the burdens and benefits of invoking the law on his or her own behalf Without discounting the contribution to our understanding of legal mobilization which has been made by the access-to-justice movement, the author argues that focusing on the poor and the distribution of legal services has limited our understanding of the legal system.
The article presents an alternative analytic framework for examination of citizen use of the law. The model of legal mobilization presented focuses on demands rather than needs, on citizens rather than lawyers or judges, on decision making rather than access, and on invoking the law rather than compliance with it. Drawing on the literature and available empirical evidence, the author attempts to analytically clarify the complex process of legal mobilization by organizing relevant variables into a decision-making model that focuses on the individual actor and the factors weighed in deciding whether and how to proceed in mobilizing the law.     

Publicsector worker safety and legal remedies

While much is known about the affirmative responsibilities private employers must undertake in order to protect workers on the job, the responsibilities of public-sector employers have not been heretofore addressed. This article analyzes federal laws that pertain to worker safety. These laws will be discussed in light of legal responsibilities placed on public-sector agencies to provide a safe work environment for employees.     

The Effects of Product Liability Litigation on the Value of Firms

We use event study methodology to examine the effects of productliability litigation on firms in the automobile and pharmaceuticalindustries. We find that the filing of a lawsuit, or news storiesthat subsequently lead to the filing of a lawsuit, is associatedwith significant losses in firm value. These losses are approximatelyequal to the upper bound of the direct loss in value of thefirms involved. This means that there may also be some reputationeffect from litigation events. We also find that in the automobileindustry competitors lose when one firm is sued, but in thepharmaceutical industry a lawsuit against one firm leads toan increase in value of other firms.     

Budgeting for Accountability: Municipal Budgeting for the 1990s

The emphasis of a public budget depends on the time and circumstances in which it is developed. During the 1990s, for example, the emphasis has increasingly been on accountability due to widespread public belief in recent years that government is uncontrollable and responds only to special interests. Over the past few years, local budgeters have begun to adapt to this new environment by improving the accountability of the budget to the public. This article summarizes some of the changes taking place and suggests some additional changes that could be adopted to make local budgeting more accountable.