5/18
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
How to grow green
Daniel Aldana Cohen of the School of Arts & Sciences has proposed that grants be made to help replace aging utility systems in low-income and public housing.
Penn In the News
McDonald’s case tests nuisance theory for job virus safety
Tom Baker of the Law School explained why state courts are a better venue for plaintiffs bringing injury claims than those at the federal level. “Traditionally, federal courts have been less willing to innovate because they’re really just guessing about state law,” he said. “Short of certifying a question to a state Supreme Court, I don’t see a federal district court doing anything highly expansive or restrictive.”
Penn In the News
House Democrats, insurance industry face off on pandemic plans
Howard Kunreuther of the Wharton School said the proposed Pandemic Risk Insurance Act would require the government to take on too much risk and proposed an alternative program that would more evenly distribute responsibility between policyholders, the insurance industry, and the government.
Penn In the News
McConnell says he favors letting states declare bankruptcy
David Skeel of the Law School commented on Mitch McConnell’s support for letting states declare bankruptcy. “That’s amazing,” Skeel said. “This is a pretty strong signal that bankruptcy for states ought to be part of the policy debate.”
Penn In the News
Stiglitz calls for ‘super Chapter 11’ to avoid systemic collapse
David Skeel of the Law School said that, to survive the pandemic, companies need a bankruptcy model that freezes debtors and creditors in place in order to prevent anyone from gaining unfair advantages during the crisis.
Penn In the News
The problem with immunity certificates
Allison Hoffman of the Law School said giving special privileges to those with coronavirus antibodies could get the economy moving again. “From a policy perspective, it’s not especially worrisome if the rest of the population has good unemployment coverage,” she said. “It would speed economic rebuilding, which I think everyone would want, whether employed or not.”
Penn In the News
Life-or-death hospital decisions come with threat of lawsuits
Allison Hoffman of the Law School said hospitals should apply consistent standards when triaging patients and rationing resources in order to avoid legal troubles down the line. Health care providers are “trying to look at what is reasonable and customary in uncharted territory,” she said.
Penn In the News
Mortgage defaults could pile up at a pace that dwarfs 2008
Susan Wachter of the Wharton School spoke about the possibility of mass defaults on home mortgages due to the pandemic. “This is an unprecedented event,” she said. “The great financial crisis happened over a number of years. This is happening in a matter of months--a matter of weeks.”
Penn In the News
Deadline approaching for agencies to post regulatory guidance
Cary Coglianese of the Law School spoke about an executive order from October 2019 that requires federal agencies to post all their regulatory guidance on one accessible website by the end of February 2020. “It could be for some agencies a really, really big task, and four months is a very short amount of time,” he said.
Penn In the News
Botin risks confronting Latin America-style populism at home
Mauro Guillén of the Wharton School said it makes sense for Spain’s Banco Santander to be proactive in navigating anti-market populist measures. “They can’t afford to be on the wrong side of things given the other challenges they’re facing,” he said.