The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the Frontier

by Terry L. Anderson, Peter Jensen Hill

Stanford Economics and Finance

50 Members (4.14)

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Description

Mention of the American West usually evokes images of rough and tumble cowboys, ranchers, and outlaws. In contrast, The Not So Wild, Wild West casts America's frontier history in a new framework that emphasizes the creation of institutions, both formal and informal, that facilitated cooperation rather than conflict. Rather than describing the frontier as a place where heroes met villains, this book argues that everyday people helped carve out legal institutions that tamed the West. The show more authors emphasize that ownership of resources evolves as those resources become more valuable or as establishing property rights becomes less costly. Rules evolving at the local level will be more effective because local people have a greater stake in the outcome. This theory is brought to life in the colorful history of Indians, fur trappers, buffalo hunters, cattle drovers, homesteaders, and miners. The book concludes with a chapter that takes lessons from the American frontier and applies them to our modern "frontiers"—the environment, developing countries, and space exploration. show less

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Author Information

Terry L. Anderson
40 Works 352 Members
Terry L. Anderson is the William A. Dunn Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center and the John and Jean De Nault Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Peter Jensen Hill
7 Works 102 Members

Series

Stanford Economics and Finance
6 works

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the Frontier
Original publication date
2004

Classifications

Genres
Economics, Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Business, Politics and Government
DDC/MDS
333.3 — Society, government, & culture Economics Economics of land and energy Private ownership
LCC
HC107 .A17 .A85 — Social sciences Economic history and conditions Economic history and conditions By region or country
BISAC
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Members
50
Popularity
582,168
Rating
(4.14)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
2