If a quiet method of mineral exploration is successful, it could thread a loophole in the law governing public lands, helping open these areas for mining that much more quickly—and controversially, Lauren Steele reports.
Kudos to Mayor Mamdani.
This is what economic justice looks like.
And it's a reminder of how we can fight corporate greed at the state and local level. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/mamdani-ice-delivery-workers-settlement-backpay-uber-gig-workers-million/
Thank you, Emily! I'm flattered:)
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is abandoning his proposal to hike taxes on all New York City property owners, following widespread criticism over the initiative.
Hiking guides hired to carry 20-pound nodes into the mountains were part of a new type of resource survey.
Miami-based #UChicagoLaw alums — come join @adamchilton.bsky.social & me tonight to discuss the future of presidential administration
1/ Totally fascinating story from NYT on how homeowners associations and private property are spaces for political resistance in China: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/w...
Property is the drive...
This NYT report marks the 10th review/interview about my book "The Authoritarian Commons: Neighborhood Democratization in Urban China." I'm grateful that people are still paying attention to everyday life in China. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/w...
3/ Shitong Qiao @shitongqiao.bsky.social who is quoted in the NYT story has written THE definitive book on homeowners association as spaces for political activism and engagement in China. It's meticulous and brilliant.
scholarship.law.duke.edu/faculty_book...
Shitong Qiao
Shitong Qiao
Jennifer Nou
Emily Feng
Based on six-year fieldwork across China including over 200 in-depth interviews, this book provides an ethnographic account of how hundreds of millions of Chinese homeowners practice democracy in and ...
Pleased to share a review written by our graduate fellow, Mary Hertz, featuring "On The Authoritarian Commons: Neighborhood Democratization in Urban China” (Cambridge University Press, 2025) by @shitongqiao.bsky.social.
Read the full review here: shorturl.at/JLVi9
Emily Feng
The paradox is in the title. Commons and authoritarian governance are supposed to contradict. If neighborhood democratization happens inside an authoritarian state, either the state is more porous than the label suggests or commons do not require liberal preconditions. Which is it?