The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the FrontierStanford University Press, 2004 - 263 Seiten 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 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. |
Inhalt
Property Rights in Indian Country | 34 |
Might Takes Rights in Indian Country | 53 |
Traders Trappers and Hunters | 77 |
Theres Property Rights in Them Thar Hills | 104 |
WagonTrain Governments | 120 |
Cowboys and Contracts | 138 |
Home on the Range | 159 |
Making the Desert Bloom | 177 |
New Frontiers | 201 |
Bibliography | 237 |
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acres agricultural allotment American West Anderson animals associations beaver bison Blackfeet brand buffalo California capital capture cattle cattlemen Chapter Chief Seattle claims collective common Comstock Lode conflict contracts cooperation cowboys created define and enforce Desert Land Act developed dissipated drive drovers economic effort emigrants enforcing property rights erty rights establishing property rights evolved example federal fence frontier Fur Company fur trade gold grazing groups herd homestead acts horse Hudson's Bay Company hunting Ibid incentive increased Indian lands individual institutional entrepreneurs investment irrigation irrigation districts Libecap McChesney miners mining camps Missouri Montana non-Indians open range organized Osgood owners ownership percent Plains potential problem production protect Quoted ranch ranchers redistribution rent seeking River roundup rules scale economies settlers territories Texas tion trail transaction costs trappers trapping tribes Utley wagon trains western whites wild wildlife Wishart Wyoming Yellowstone