This essay draws on historical and current examples to examine the extent to which public creditors can enhance democracy by monitoring public officials in a manner that compansates for the failures of the government-debtor's constituents to monitor public officials. Creditors and constituents...

Few still believe that Puerto Rico is capable of meeting all of its financial obligations and continuing to provide basic services. The territory is already in default, and conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Is there a way forward? We think there is. In this short article, we outline a...

Recent proceedings involving large municipalities such as Detroit, Stockton, and Vallejo illustrate both the utility and the limitations of using the Bankruptcy Code to adjust municipal debt. In this article, we contend that, to truly resolve the distress of a substantial city, municipal...

Numerous commentators on local government law have advocated some form of regionalization to address metropolitan problems. These recommendations emanate from a conception of local governments, particularly suburbs, as isolated, self-interested entities that ignore or exploit the plight of their...

The constitutions of numerous states require municipalities to obtain electoral approval prior to issuing debt. When the electorate rejects debt proposals, however, officials may proceed with the proposed project through an alternative financing mechanism that does not require a vote. There are...

Cities pursue firms that can increase tax base and fund local public goods. Related firms, or clusters, gravitate to dense urban areas in order to achieve the agglomeration benefits of co-location within a small geographic area. This mutual interest of cities and clusters explains local economic...

The dramatic rise of remote work threatens the traditional source of urban growth – the unique ability of dense cities to provide a setting in which firms and employees share productive resources, match needs with skills, and transmit knowledge at low cost. These “agglomeration benefits”...

The literature on standard form contracts has increased dramatically in recent years, as lawyers and economists have debated their desirability in both business and consumer settings. The development of novel forms of contracting, such as telephonic and Internet-based contracting, as well as the...

Local governments often enjoy "home rule," in the sense that they are able to initiate legislation concerning municipal affairs without obtaining the prior consent of the state legislature. At the same time, these localities often are able to exercise limited discretion over revenue raising. In...