Politics and Property Rights: The Closing of the Open Range in the Postbellum South - Rilegato

Kantor, Shawn Everett

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0226423751 ISBN 13: 9780226423753

Casa editrice: Univ of Chicago Pr, 1998

Riassunto

After the American Civil War, agricultural reformers in the South called for an end to unrestricted grazing of livestock on unfenced land. They advocated the stock law, which required livestock owners to fence in their animals, arguing that the existing system (in which farmers built protective fences around crops) was outdated and inhibited economic growth. The reformers steadily won their battles, and by the end of the century the range was on the way to being closed.

In this original study, Kantor uses economic analysis to show that, contrary to traditional historical interpretation, this conflict was centered on anticipated benefits from fencing livestock rather than on class, cultural, or ideological differences. Kantor proves that the stock law brought economic benefits; at the same time, he analyzes why the law's adoption was hindered in many areas where it would have increased wealth. This argument illuminates the dynamics of real-world institutional change, where transactions are often costly and where some inefficient institutions persist while others give way to economic growth.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Univ of Chicago Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 1998
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0226423751
• ISBN 13: 9780226423753
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 187
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: non disponibile