The Empire Fracks Back: The Case for Hydraulic Fracturing Strict Liability in New York

The possibility that New York will allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the near future raises the issue of liability for environmental and other extraction-related harms. Given the potential risk, New York courts should consider treating natural gas exploration under a strict liability regime. Natural gas producers facing strict liability for drilling mishaps would be forced to internalize the environmental and other social costs inherent in the drilling process, thus incentivizing producers to exercise a maximum of care.     

Looking Back over My 45 Years of Involvement with Government Reform Efforts

This Viewpoint presents a typology of options for future government reformers to help guide the design and implementation of a reform initiative, based on the author's experiences and observations over the past 45 years. Successful reformers need to be clear up front about what they are attempting to achieve and frame their efforts in ways that maximize the success and sustainability of the effort. In this article, the author offers a series of questions and answers to help future reformers choose among various design and implementation options and to help them chart their paths.     

Present but not prevalent: identifying the organizational correlates of researcher-practitioner partnerships in U.S. Law Enforcement

ABSTRACT

Federal funding streams, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and policing executives and scholars alike have advocated for more researcher-practitioner partnerships in American law enforcement. While a few studies have explored the growth and prevalence of research partnerships in policing, less attention has been placed on the organizational correlates of such collaborative relationships. Using a nationally representative sample of US law enforcement agencies, the current study investigated participation in what we term ‘rigorous partnerships’ – more formal, long-term relationships between researchers and practitioners with increased opportunity for interactive knowledge exchange. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed, with a specific focus on the barriers and impediments that both parties face for successful collaborative efforts and research translation.