The Political Institution of Private Property

by Itai Sened

Overview

In this book Itai Sened provides an original analysis of the political institutions that protect property and individual rights. He argues that the origin of these rights resides in political institutions, and not in any set of moral principles. Individual rights are said to derive from a "social contract" that evolves through a political process in which governments grant and protect rights in return for political and economic support.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521572477
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/24/1997
Series:	Theories of Institutional Design
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables; Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Classical theories of the origin of rights: the social contract; 2. Neo-classical theories of the origin of property rights: non-strategic individuals in a world without politics; 3. A game theoretic approach: contemporary theory of institutions; 4. A neo-liberal theory of the state: the role of government in the evolution of property rights; 5. A neo-liberal theory of the social contract: the role of autonomous individuals in the evolution of property rights; 6. Political entrepreneurs: the linkage between autonomous individuals and central agents; 7. A case study: the grant of private property rights in air slots; Conclusion: the political origin of human rights; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Examination of the origin and extent of property rights has in recent years become a major concern of economists, lawyers, political scientists, and other scholars. This slender yet well-researched and well-argued volume continues this inquiry into property rights....an interesting book." — Choice

"This is a very timely work. Actors in the postcommunist world are creating, altering, and redistributing property rights on a scale rarely seen. Sened provides a very useful approach to study these cases. Moreover, these cases offer the opportunity to buil on Sened's impressive work." Timothy Frye, Political Science Quarterly

From the Publisher

This is a very timely work....Sened provides a very useful approach to study these cases.
— Political Science Quarterly

Timothy Frye