Working Paper: NBER ID: w11502
Authors: Ross Levine
Abstract: While scholars have hypothesized about the sources of variation in property rights for over 2500 \nyears, it is only very recently that researchers have begun to test these theories empirically. This \npaper reviews both the theory and empirical evidence supporting and refuting the law and \nendowment views of property rights. The law view holds that historically determined differences in \nnational legal traditions continue to shape cross-country differences in property rights. The \nendowment view argues that during European colonization, differences in climate, crops, the \nindigenous population, and the disease environment influenced long-run property rights.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: N01; K4; O00
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| French legal origin (K15) | weaker property rights (P14) |
| British common law (K15) | stronger property rights (P14) |
| settler mortality rates (J11) | property rights (P14) |
| natural resources and colonization strategies (Q34) | property rights (P14) |