The Evolution of Private Property in Nineteenth-Century Hawaii

Sumner J. La Croix and James Roumasset

The Journal of Economic History, 1990, vol. 50, issue 4, 829-852

Abstract: Population pressure has been identified as a major force behind the transition from traditional property rights in land to exclusive, transferable property rights. This article examines the case of Hawaii where the transition to private property in land occurred while its population was rapidly declining. That transition was driven by new market opportunities and considerations of public finance.The shift in comparative advantage to sugar production increased the rents associated with private land rights, while declining tax revenues prompted the king and his government to pursue property rights reform to gain additional revenues.

Date: 1990
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