Articles
Property rights are essential for market exchange. The definition of those rights, their enforcement, and their transferability all help determine the extent of trade and the rate of economic development and wealth creation.
Economist, n. a scoundrel whose faulty vision sees things as they really are, not as they ought to be. —after Ambrose BierceBy Daniel K. Benjamin
Daniel Benjamin
06/01/2006
Economic evidence reveals that property rights are more critical for prosperity than an efficient method of settling contractual disputes.
Daniel Benjamin
03/01/2001
By Daniel K. Benjamin
Where the commons has
been at least partly privatized
there is less damage to fish stocks,
the fishing is safer, and fewer
resources are needed to
achieve a given harvest.
Daniel Benjamin
06/01/2000
By Daniel K. Benjamin
Given the racket that people raise
over airport noise, one would think
that the social benefits of regulating
airport noise must be great.
Founded 30 years ago in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—is the nation’s oldest and largest institute dedicated to improving environmental quality through property rights and markets.
PERC’s publications, each designed to resonate with specific groups, move ideas generated at PERC to broader audiences.
Research is at the heart of PERC's work, with a focus on the question: What is the link between economic growth and environmental quality?
The goal of PERC’s programs is to fully realize the vision of establishing “PERC University,” where scholars, students, policy makers, and others convene to expand the applications of free market environmentalism.
PERC's fellowships share a common goal of exposing new scholars, students, journalists, and policy makers to free market environmentalism, as well as enable scholars already familiar with FME to explore new applications.
PERC continues to publish and present a broad range of research and discussion through podcasts, videos, and other multimedia channels.