The Social Production of Property and its Coercive Enforcement

• In Event: 087 - Section on Rationality and Society Paper Session. Sustainable Cooperation and Individual Interests in a Changing World

Abstract

The paper investigates forms of property as social phenomenon and finds formulations from economics to be ideologically driven. Introducing new formulations for property uncovers why private and communal property are always found together. It is well known that, to be stable, the commons must be governed. Here it is shown that both types of property relations contain social dilemmas such that they are unstable unless they are governed. For example, unless governed, exchange does not contain motivations sufficient for its production. It is shown that governance of both property types must be coercive. Questions for future research are posed.

Authors

• Pamela E. Emanuelson, North Dakota State University

• David Willer, University of South Carolina

• Richard Chacon, Winthrop University

• Yamilette Chacon, University of South Carolina

• Danielle Lewis, University of South Carolina