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The 2010 Program on Law and State Government (PSLG) Fellows will examine innovative business models used by state governments in providing public services. The PSLG at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis announced the two recipients of the 10th annual PSLG Fellowship. The $5000 one-year fellowship supports research and a live seminar on a topic relevant to law and state government. Ms. Melissa Stuart and Dr. Erin Albert, both 2L JD candidates at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis will receive the awards to study public entrepreneurship during the 2010 calendar year.

“This year's candidates for the fellowship Program on Law and State Government were phenomenal, and both fellows are passionate about the topic of entrepreneurship as it relates to state government and governance,” said Prof. Cynthia Baker, PLSG Director at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis. “With the current economic climate, it is an exciting time to better understand how entrepreneurial thinking and habits are, or could be, impacting how state governments carry out their myriad responsibilities."

Following an assessment of state governments' current systems, the Fellows will identify successful, real-world examples of service coordination and delivery from Indiana and other states. Examples such as privatization, revenue generation beyond taxation, and social entrepreneurship will be explored. State governments' use, or potential to benefit from modern research, including intrinsic motivation and commons research will also be examined. A broad range of government efforts toward service delivery, from providing services to children with disabilities to education to judicial reform, will be considered. Additionally, the Fellows will consider what changes to Indiana laws and procedures at each level of government would be needed to move toward more successful models for providing public services. Information on the topic and the Fellowship program is located at: http://indylaw.indiana.edu/programs/law_state_gov/fellowships.htm.

The Fellows’ research will culminate in a fall symposium on the topic of public entrepreneurship, with experts in the arena of innovative programs in law and state government. The Fellows are also hosting a national poster session open to all graduate schools in the United States. More information about the fall symposium and poster session will be posted on the law school's web site: indylaw.indiana.edu.

The goals of the Program on Law and State Government are: To foster study, research, and education on critical legal and regulatory issues facing state governments, to enhance students' education by providing opportunities for participation in Program-sponsored research initiatives, educational programs, and internships within all branches of state government, to enrich and broaden the dialog between the academic legal community and state governments by promoting and disseminating contemporary scholarship on issues confronting those governments. Through Program-sponsored scholarly papers, research, and educational seminars, the Program encourages the development of nonpartisan, critical perspectives on state government decision-making. By marshaling resources to promote the use of contemporary scholarship, the Program facilitates state governments' use of that scholarship to address and resolve legal issues. Ultimately, the Program serves as a vehicle to bring students, the law school, and the community of state government policy makers together in an academic forum for public debate and analysis of the legal issues facing state governments. For more information, logon to the PLSG website at: http://indylaw.indiana.edu/programs/law_state_gov/

About Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis

With an enrollment of more than 1,000 students, IU School of Law - Indianapolis is the largest law school in the state of Indiana. Occupying a spacious, new, technologically advanced building, the school is located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has enjoyed great success for more than 100 years in preparing students for legal careers. The success of the school is evidenced by the prominent positions graduates have obtained in the judiciary and other branches of government, business, positions of civic leadership, and law practice. The school’s nearly 9,000 alumni are located in every state in the nation and several foreign countries.

For more information on the Program on Law and State Government or this year’s symposium, please contact Professor Cynthia A. Baker at cabaker@iu.edu.