Power, Property Rights, and the Dynamics of Local Wealth Appropriation
研究地方财富不平等与产权政治之间的动态关系，分析辖区如何利用法律漏洞和公共资产杠杆，将财产从边缘群体重新分配给主导群体，揭示地方政治与政策如何加剧财富差距。
We examine the dynamic connections between local wealth inequality and the local politics of property rights. A jurisdiction comprises a politically dominant in-group and a marginalized out-group. At each date, the jurisdiction exploits weaknesses in due process rights under the legal system to redistribute property claims away from the out-group and toward the in-group. It combines takings and zoning with the leveraging of public assets to deter legal challenges. This leverage varies over time and depends on status quo effects and asymmetries in legal treatment of assets. The results show how local politics and policies are linked to wealth disparities.