Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Infocrime: Protecting Information through Criminal Law

Eli Lederman, Infocrime: Protecting Information through Criminal Law (Edward Elgar 2016).

"It has often been said that information is power. This is more true in the information age than ever. The book profiles the tools used by criminal law to protect confidential information. It deals with the essence of information, the varieties of confidential information, and the basic models for its protection within the context of the Internet and social networks.

Eli Lederman examines the key prohibitions against collecting protected information, and against using, disclosing, and disseminating it without authorization. The investigation cuts across a broad subject matter to discuss and analyze key topics such as trespassing and peeping, the human body as a source of information, computer trespassing, tracking and collecting personal information in the public space, surveillance, privileged communications, espionage and state secrets, trade secrets, personal information held by others, and profiling and sexting."
 
Publisher's description

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Founding Acts: Constitutional Origins in a Democratic Age

Serdar Tekin (Ege University), Founding Acts: Constitutional Origins in a Democratic Age (Univ. of Pennsylvania 2016).


"Founding Acts explores the relationship between constitutional claims of popular sovereignty and the practice of constitution-making in our pluralistic age. Serdar Tekin argues that the process of making a constitution, or its pedigree, is as morally and politically significant as its content. Consequently, democratic constitution-making is not only about making a democratic constitution but also about making it, as much as possible, democratically.

Tekin develops two overarching arguments in support of this claim. First, citizen participation in the process of constitution-making is essential to the democratic legitimacy of a new constitution. Second, collective action, that is, the political experience of constructing public life together, is what binds diverse people into a democratic peoplehood. Bringing into dialogue a wide range of canonical and contemporary thinkers, Tekin examines historical realities extending from revolutionary America and France to contemporary South Africa and Germany." 

Publisher's description

Friday, December 16, 2016

The American Supreme Court

Robert G. McCloskey (Harvard), revised by Sanford Levinson (University of Texas), The American Supreme Court (6th ed. 2016).

"As in prior editions, McCloskey’s original text remains unchanged. In his historical interpretation, he argues that the strength of the Court has always been its sensitivity to the changing political scene, as well as its reluctance to stray too far from the main currents of public sentiment. In this new edition, Sanford Levinson extends McCloskey’s magisterial treatment to address developments since the 2010 election, including the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding the Defense of Marriage Act, the Affordable Care Act, and gay marriage."

Publisher's description

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Government at Work: Policymaking in the Twenty-First-Century Congress

Sunil Ahuja & Robert Dewhirst (eds.), Government at Work (Rowman & Littlefield 2016).

"In this edited volume, an array of scholars has examined recent policymaking efforts in selected areas of contemporary importance. Government at Work: Policymaking in the Twenty-First Century Congress provides chapter-length treatment to reveal the similarities and fundamentals of policy development while also illustrating the unique issues and obstacles found in each policy environment. This book’s scope spans the entire policymaking process, exposing the readers to the interaction among all major power centers, ranging from interest groups, media, courts, Congress, the president, and the federal bureaucracy. It shows the dynamic nature of American policymaking system. The approach employed in this book treats events, such as Congress passing a law or the Supreme Court announcing a ruling, as important steps in the policy process rather than as merely ends unto themselves."
Publisher's description

Friday, December 2, 2016

The New Intellectual Property of Health

Alberto Alemanno (New York University) & Enrico Bonadio (City University, London) (eds.), The New Intellectual Property of Health: Beyond Plain Packaging (Edward Elgar 2016).

"This timely book provides the first legal and policy analysis of the intellectual property (IP) aspects of a rapidly-growing category of regulatory measures affecting the presentation and advertising of certain health-related goods. The key goods examined are tobacco, alcohol, food, and pharmaceuticals.

Chapters focusing on both distinct policy areas and specific country examples serve to unearth the inherent tension emerging between these new measures as well as other categories of public health measures and IP regimes. This book discusses how to balance the legitimate interests of governments to promote human health and the protection and enforcement of IP rights. It also further explores how to amend IP regimes with a view to encouraging companies to produce and market healthier products.

Comprehensive and engaging, this book will provide innovative research angles to academics and students in the areas of both health and IP law. Its wealth of examples and analytic style will also prove insightful to legal professionals who advise on issues related to IP and public health as well as policy makers, governments and NGOs." 

Publisher's description