Property Rights, Politics and the Economy

This seminar explores property rights and their location within political economies and society writ large. What are property rights? What are the mechanisms that guarantee property rights? Why are property rights more secure in some places than in others? What accounts for the transformation and persistence of property rights systems? What are the impacts of property rights on economic performance and politics? What are the links between property rights systems and issues of social justice, inclusiveness, and equality? In what ways do property rights intersect with gender and race? The class will draw on literature from multiple disciplines and consider cases from many areas of the world.