Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"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
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-198) and index.
Table of Contents
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 individual rights; 5. A neo-liberal theory of the social contract: the role of autonomous individual agents in the evolution of rights; 6. Political entrepreneurs: a linkage between social agents and central authorities; 7. A case study: the grant of private property rights in air slots; Conclusion.