The Transformation of Property Rights in the Gold Coast: An Empirical Analysis Applying Rational Choice Theory. (book reviews)

Robert Fatton, Jr., University of Virginia

In this succinct, clear, and well-written book, Kathryn Firmin-Sellers offers a rational-choice explanation of the transformation of property rights in the Gold Coast. Her main argument is that property rights under British colonial rule remained insecure and fluid and thus caused the failure of capitalist development. Secure property rights, she contends, rest on a combination of both institutional coercive capacity and institutional political incentives. Rulers must have the power to enforce a particular set of property rights and deny any ...

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