The nature of property rights affects everything around us. But as this month's lead essay shows, defining property itself can be a contentious act. Do property rights come merely from the state, or are they pre-political? Lead essayist Daniel Klein asserts that much of the modern, social democratic state depends implicitly on overlordship — the idea that the state is the ultimate owner of all property, even if the state is kind enough to assign you certain items for a really, really long time.
Without relying on some kind of overlordship, Klein suggests, social democracy wouldn't be able to get off the ground. His claim has widespread implications, not just for social democracy, but for social contract theory and for the very idea of government by consent of the governed. To discuss this radical re-casting of the modern state, we have invited political economist Matthias Matthijs of American Universtiy, libertarian theorist David D. Friedman of Santa Clara University, and property law expert Ilya Somin of George Mason University. Each contributor will have a different perspective on Klein's ideas, and, perhaps with this issue more than most, the room for discussion is vast. Be sure to subscribe via RSS or stop by often as the month progresses.
Without relying on some kind of overlordship, Klein suggests, social democracy wouldn't be able to get off the ground. His claim has widespread implications, not just for social democracy, but for social contract theory and for the very idea of government by consent of the governed. To discuss this radical re-casting of the modern state, we have invited political economist Matthias Matthijs of American Universtiy, libertarian theorist David D. Friedman of Santa Clara University, and property law expert Ilya Somin of George Mason University. Each contributor will have a different perspective on Klein's ideas, and, perhaps with this issue more than most, the room for discussion is vast. Be sure to subscribe via RSS or stop by often as the month progresses.
