The lawsuit is the cornerstone of the civil justice system in America, and an open court the foundation of American jurisprudence. In a public setting, we resolve disputes, determine liability, and compensate injuries. In recent decades, however, more civil disputes have been resolved out of court and the outcomes have been kept secret. Fewer than 5 percent of the tens of millions of injury claims annually are actually resolved through a public trial with a jury, and the vast majority are settled out of court or through private forums, such as mediation or arbitration, with undisclosed terms. Some argue that the confidentiality of the system keeps it working efficiently and fairly; others argue that the public is being denied information about hazards that may cause harm and that a public system with no data lacks oversight.This collection of essays by leading legal scholars is the first book to approach the issue in a multidisciplinary, nonpartisan, and empirical manner. The essays provide empirical analyses and case studies of the impact of greater disclosure on various aspects of the system, ranging from settlement values to fraud, and propose several novel prescriptions for reform. With special attention to the emergence of modern mass litigation, the authors identify a number of benefits to increasing access to information, including decreased fraud, improved public understanding and confidence in the system, and lower transactions costs. The authors make policy recommendations--such as expanding access to existing databases and using technology to create new databases--that increase transparency while protecting the need for privacy.

Confidentiality, Transparency, and the U.S. Civil Justice System

Zakaras, Laura

Doherty, Joseph W.

Reville, Robert T.

Rules & Procedures

Oxford University Press

<p>What does it means to cultivate demand for the arts? Why is it important and necessary to do so? What can state arts agencies and other arts and education policymakers do to make it happen? The authors set out a framework for thinking about supply and demand in the arts and identify the roles that different factors, particularly arts learning, play in increasing demand for the arts.</p>

Cultivating Demand for the Arts: Arts Learning, Arts Engagement, and State Arts Policy

Lowell, Julia F.

Arts & Photography

RAND Corporation

The Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Study, conducted by RAND and launched in 2011, offers the first assessment of district-run voluntary summer programs over the short and long run. This report, the second of five that will result from the study, looks at how summer programs affected student performance on math, reading, and social and emotional assessments in fall 2013.

Ready for Fall?: Near-Term Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Students' Learning Opportunities and Outcomes (Rand Summer Learning)

Education & Teaching

McCombs, Jennifer Sloan

Pane, John F.

Augustine, Catherine H.

Schwartz, Heather L.

Martorell, Paco

Schools & Teaching

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Books by Zakaras, Laura