Abstract
This comment deals with criticisms of law and economics analysis as they can be formulated from the point of view of an anthropologist. These criticisms are taken seriously. The author first addresses so-called defects of law and economics analysis which should be considered underdeveloped areas of the approach. Secondly, and more specifically, weaknesses of the property rights approach are taken up. In the author's view, they should be dealt with in future law and economics work. Finally, methodological issues are being addressed which, if not considered with circumspection, could impair the scientific integrity of the law and economics approach.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bouckaert, B. (1990). “What Is Property?”Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 13, 3, 784.
Bouckaert, B. (Forthcoming). “City Air Sets One Free: Medieval Cities as Voluntary Political and Economic Comunities.” In David Beito (ed.),The Voluntary City. San Francisco: The Independent Institute.
Buchanan, J.M. (1990). “The Domain of Constitutional Economics.”Constitutional Political Economy 1, 1–18.
Calabresi, G., and A.D. Melamed. (1972). “Property Rules, Liability Rules and Inalienability: One View of the Cathedral.”Harvard Law Review 85, 1079–1128.
Degeest, G. (1994).Economische Analyse van het contracten en quasi-contract enrecht. Antwerp: MAKLU.
D'Souza, D. (1991).Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus. New York: Free Press.
Eggertson, T. (1992). “Analyzing Institutional Successes and Failures: A Millenium of Common Mountain Pastures in Iceland.”IRLE 12, 423–437.
Ellickson, R.C. (1991).Order Without Law: How Neighbors Settle Disputes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Ellickson, R.C. (1993). “Property in Land.”Yale Law Journal 102, 1315–1400.
Field, B. C (1989). “The Evolution of Property Rights.”Kyklos 42, 319–345.
Furobotn, E.G., and S. Pejovich. (1974).The Economics of Property Rights. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
Ginossar, S. (1960).Droit réel, propriété et créance. Elaboration d'un systeme rationnel des droits patrimoniaux. Paris: L.D.G.J.
Greif, A., P. Milgrom, and B. Weingast. (1970). “The Merchant Guild as a Nexus of Contracts.” Working Paper 70, John Olin Program in Law and Economics, October.
Holzhauer, R.W., and R. Teijl. (1989).Inleiding Rechtseconomie. Arnhem: Gouda Quint.
Hoshi, T., A. Kashyap, and D. Scharfstein. (1991). “Corporate Structure, Liquidity and Investment: Evidence from Japanese Industrial Groups.”Quarterly Journal of Economics, 33–60.
Johnsen, D.B. (1986). “The Formation and Protection of Property Rights Among the Southern Kwakiutl Indians.”Journal of Legal Studies 15, 41–67.
Landa, J.E. (1981). “A Theory of the Ethnically Homogeneous Midleman Group: An Institutional Alternative to Contract Law.”Journal of Legal Studies 10, 349–362.
Macfarlane, A. (1978).The Origins of English Individualism. Oxford: Blackwell.
O'Driscoll, G., and M. Rizzo. (1985).The Economics of Time and Ignorance. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Ostrom, E., R. Gardner, and J. Walker. (1994).Rules, Games and Common Pool Resources. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Pejovich, S. (1990).The Economics of Property Rights: Towards a Theory of Comparative Systems. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Schmidtchen, D. (1994). “Tune, Uncertainty and Subjectivism: Giving More Body to Law and Economics.”IRLE 13, 61–84.
Witt, U. (1992).Explaining Process and Change: Appproaches to Evolutionary Economics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bouckaert, B. Comment on Franz Von Benda-Beckmann, “anthropological approaches to property law and economics”. Eur J Law Econ 2, 337–345 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541071
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541071