TY  - JOUR
AU  - Rajan,Raghuram
AU  - Zingales,Luigi
TI  - The Emergence of Strong Property Rights: Speculation from history
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 9478
PY  - 2003
Y2  - February 2003
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w9478
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w9478.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Raghuram Rajan
Booth School of Business
University of Chicago
5807 South Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
Tel: 773/702-4437
Fax: 773/702-0458
E-Mail: raghuram.rajan@ChicagoBooth.edu

Luigi Zingales
Booth School of Business
The University of Chicago
5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
Tel: 773/702-3196
Fax: 773/834-2081
E-Mail: luigi.zingales@ChicagoBooth.edu
AB  - How did citizens acquire rights protecting their property from the depredations of the government? In this paper, we argue that one important factor strengthening respect for property is how it is distributed. When there is some specificity associated with property, and property is held by those who are most productive, the distribution of property becomes relatively easy to defend. By contrast, when property is owned by those who get rents simply by virtue of ownership, the distribution of property becomes much harder to defend. We speculate on why some countries have been able to develop a climate of respect for property rights while others have not.
ER  -