The Tragedy of the Asbestos Commons

Managing contested greenspace: neighborhood commons and the rise of dog parks

“…The Neighborhood Commons, as defined by Hess, "incorporate both urban and rural commons where people living in close proximity come together to strengthen, manage, preserve, or protect a local resource" (Hess 2008, 16). While a wide variety of issues can be examined or have been identified as commons, Hess' list of research of the Neighborhood Commons includes parks and playgrounds (Delehanty 1992), brownfields (Clapp and Meyer 2000), sidewalks, streets, parking and public space (Abu-Ghazzeh 1998;Epstein 2002;McGovern 2002;Kettles 2004;Anjaria 2006;Blackmar 2006;Cooper 2006), home owner associations, housing and homelessness (Headington 2003;West and Morris 2003;Mitchell and Staeheli 2006), urban enclosure (Lee and Webster 2006), local security issues (Krebs et al 1999), noise pollution (Illich 1983), community gardens (Linn 2008), and street trees (Steed and Fischer 2007). Within this extensive literature, most do not specifically refer to the "Neighborhood Commons", but rather, examine collective action problems at a neighborhood level, with an eye towards improved governance of a shared resource.…”

An Administrative Approach to the Resolution of Mass Torts?

“…19 "[T]here has been a gross disparity in jury verdicts among states, usually with the largest verdicts coming from the same counties that allow large mass filings." 20 Plaintiffs take advantage of such dynamics to inflate the value of claims beyond what is justified. 21 Moreover, such dynamics lead to inequitable outcomes as the value of claims turns in large part on the jurisdiction in which they are filed, as opposed to the inherent facts and law governing each cause of action.…”