Water Capitalism
The Case for Privatizing Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Aquifers
Published on 30. October 2015
Book
Hardback
302 pages
978-1-4985-1880-2 (ISBN)
Description
Water covers some 75% of the earth's surface, while land covers 25%, approximately. Yet the former accounts for less than 1% of world GDP, the latter 99% plus. Part of the reason for this imbalance is that there are more people located on land than water. But a more important explanation is that while land is privately owned, water is unowned (with the exception of a few small lakes and ponds), or governmentally owned (rivers, large lakes). This gives rise to the tragedy of the commons: when something is unowned, people have less of an incentive to care for it, preserve it, and protect it, than when they own it. As a result we have oil spills, depletion of fish stocks, threatened extinction of some species (e.g. whales), shark attacks, polluted and dried-up rivers, misallocated water, unsafe boating, piracy, and other indices of economic disarray which, if they had occurred on the land, would have been more easily identified as the result of the tragedy of the commons and/or government ownership and mismanagement. The purpose of this book is to make the case for privatization of all bodies of water, without exception. In the tragic example of the Soviet Union, the 97% of the land owned by the state accounted for 75% of the crops. On the 3% of the land privately owned, 25% of the crops were grown. The obvious mandate requires that we privatize the land, and prosper. The present volume applies this lesson, in detail, to bodies of water.
Reviews / Votes
I'm going to recommend your book, of course, to listeners. I don't think you're going to find another book on water body privatization. I think I can say that with a degree of confidence. But this book, which Walter Block and his co-author have just released . . . is the place to go to get a lot of very important food for thought. * The Tom Woods Show * In this pathbreaking tour de force, Professor Walter Block of Loyola University, New Orleans, and Peter Nelson, an engineer out of Colorado specializing in water resources, lay down the case for full-throttle Water Capitalism. In free-flowing, inter-disciplinary form our authors provide a jam-packed foundation (and I do mean jam-packed; the bibliography alone is 35 pages long) for future advocacy of free markets in all things aqua.... In sum, Water Capitalism is a breath of fresh air in the stagnant atmosphere of watered down quasi-defenses of aquacapitalism. Indeed, a beefy appendix is dedicated to smashing the various 'free market environmentalist' academic and policy proposals that have preceded Water Capitalism. This section will be of utmost interest to the more scholarly inclined segment of our author's audience. Nonetheless, an inquisitive reader passionate about a free and prosperous future will find an intellectual adventure well worth setting sail for in this invaluable contribution. * San Francisco Review of Books * Walter Block is a famous champion of property rights, and his book with Peter Nelson makes the case for private oceans, rivers, lakes, and acquifers in compelling and convincing fashion. It could also not be more timely. Water Capitalism indeed! -- Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr., Mises Institute In this provocative new book Walter Block and Peter Nelson thoroughly and eloquently discuss the idea of privatizing the oceans and all other bodies of water. Included in this well-researched volume are in-depth treatments of the entire spectrum of aquatic ownership concepts as well as an enlightening description of a potential aquatic privatization homesteading process. This well-written and easy-to-read treatise persuasively challenges assumptions and ideas held by people throughout the ages. -- Edward W. YounkinsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
5 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4985-1880-2 (9781498518802)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Walter E. Block | Peter L. Nelson
Water Capitalism
The Case for Privatizing Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Aquifers
E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
Lexington Books
€35.49
Available for download
Persons
Walter E. Block is Harold E. Wirth Endowed Chair and professor of economics in the College of Business at Loyola University New Orleans and senior fellow at the Mises Institute.
Peter Lothian Nelson is former president of PLN Engineering and a professional engineer.
Peter Lothian Nelson is former president of PLN Engineering and a professional engineer.
Content
Chapter 1 Privatize the Oceans and All Other Bodies of Water
Chapter 2 Why Privatize Anything?
Chapter 3 Why Privatize Bodies of Water?
Chapter 4 Aquatic Ownership Concepts
Chapter 5 The Process of Privatization Homesteading, Abandonment
Chapter 6 Existing Law Governing the Seas
Chapter 7 Oceans-Concepts of Oceanological Ownership
Chapter 8 Rivers-Concepts of Potamological Ownership
Chapter 9 Lakes-Concepts of Limnological Ownership
Chapter 10 Aquifers-Concepts of Hydrogeological Ownership
Chapter 11 Mainstream Views on Ocean Management
Chapter 12 Piracy
Chapter 13 Case Studies
Chapter 14 Debate-Technological Viewpoints that Inform Homesteading, Technological Units
Chapter 2 Why Privatize Anything?
Chapter 3 Why Privatize Bodies of Water?
Chapter 4 Aquatic Ownership Concepts
Chapter 5 The Process of Privatization Homesteading, Abandonment
Chapter 6 Existing Law Governing the Seas
Chapter 7 Oceans-Concepts of Oceanological Ownership
Chapter 8 Rivers-Concepts of Potamological Ownership
Chapter 9 Lakes-Concepts of Limnological Ownership
Chapter 10 Aquifers-Concepts of Hydrogeological Ownership
Chapter 11 Mainstream Views on Ocean Management
Chapter 12 Piracy
Chapter 13 Case Studies
Chapter 14 Debate-Technological Viewpoints that Inform Homesteading, Technological Units