How should we model property? Thinking with my critics

Benito Arruñada

Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract: Inspired by comments made by Allen (2017), Lueck (2017), Ménard (2017) and Smith (2017), this response clarifies and deepens the analysis in Arruñada (2017a). Its main argument is that to deal with the complexity of property we must abstract secondary elements, such as the physical dimensions of some types of assets, and focus on the interaction between transactions. This sequential-exchange framework captures the main problem of property in the current environment of impersonal markets. It also provides criteria to compare private and public ordering, as well as to organize public solutions that enable new forms of private ordering. The analysis applies the lessons in Coase (1960) to property by not only comparing realities but also maintaining his separate treatment of the definition of property rights and transaction costs. However, it replaces his contractual, single-exchange, framework for one in which contracts interact, causing exchange externalities.

Keywords: property rights; externalities; enforcement; transaction costs; public ordering; private ordering; impersonal exchange. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 G38 H41 K11 K12 O17 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cta, nep-dcm and nep-law
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