Property Rights and Neoliberalism: Cultural Demands and Legal Actions

Property rights and efforts to curb state appropriation of private properties for public purposes have always held high status on the political agenda of the US and many other nations that feature a corporate capitalist economic system. In addition to this, over the last several decades conservative libertarian and neo-liberal groups have put constitutional demands for greater property protection on the agendas of courts in several countries. Studying property rights mobilization in both domestic and comparative contexts, the contributors to this volume bring a range of social science perspectives to address three primary issues: the contours and characteristics of property rights mobilizations; the degree to which property rights movements have influenced development of law in demonstrable ways; and the broader cultural, social and economic implications of modern-era property rights litigation and legal mobilizations. This will be a key text for anyone working within or interested in property rights.

Wayne McIntosh is an Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Laura Hatcher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.