Private Property and Public Power (Paperback)

Debbie Becher

ISBN 10: 0199322554 / ISBN 13: 9780199322558

Published by Oxford University Press Inc, New York, 2014

About this Item

Paperback. News media reports on eminent domain often highlight outrage and heated protest. But these accounts, Debbie Becher finds, obscure a much more complex reality of how Americans understand property. Private Property and Public Power presents the first comprehensive study of a city's acquisitions, exploring how and why Philadelphia took properties between 1992 and 2007 for private redevelopment. Becher uses original data-collected from city offices andinterviews with over a hundred residents, business owners, community leaders, government representatives, attorneys, and appraisers-to explore how eminent domain really works. Surprisingly, the city took over 4,000private properties, and these takings rarely provoked opposition. When conflicts did arise, community residents, businesses, and politicians all appealed to a shared notion of investment to justify their arguments about policy. It is this social conception of property as an investment of value, committed over time, that government is responsible for protecting. Becher's findings stand in stark contrast to the views of libertarian and left-leaning activists and academics, but recognizingproperty as investment, she argues, may offer a solid foundation for more progressive urban policies. This book examines how citizens judge whether government is abusing its power when making use of eminent domain. Debbie Becher argues that neither a belief in property rights nor a desire for growth guide popular evaluations of government legitimacy. Instead, community residents, businesses, government bureaucrats, and politicians all appeal to a shared notion of investment to justify policy. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780199322558

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Private Property and Public Power (Paperback)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, New York
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199322554
• ISBN 13: 9780199322558
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

News media reports on eminent domain often highlight outrage and heated protest. But these accounts, Debbie Becher finds, obscure a much more complex reality of how Americans understand property. Private Property and Public Power presents the first comprehensive study of a city's acquisitions, exploring how and why Philadelphia took properties between 1992 and 2007 for private redevelopment. Becher uses original data-collected from city offices and interviews with over a hundred residents, business owners, community leaders, government representatives, attorneys, and appraisers-to explore how eminent domain really works. Surprisingly, the city took over 4,000 private properties, and these takings rarely provoked opposition. When conflicts did arise, community residents, businesses, and politicians all appealed to a shared notion of investment to justify their arguments about policy. It is this social conception of property as an investment of value, committed over time, that government is responsible for protecting. Becher's findings stand in stark contrast to the views of libertarian and left-leaning activists and academics, but recognizing property as investment, she argues, may offer a solid foundation for more progressive urban policies.

About the Author

Debbie Becher is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University.