Books & ideas

In Praise of the Unpropertied

Pierre Crétois — 2026-03-26T08:30:00Z

Marx misunderstood Proudhon: he criticized him for neglecting the relations of production, when in fact the French anarchist was interested in the political subjugation that, in his view, private property inevitably causes.

A critique of the ideology of property

Yann Robert — 2025-12-04T08:00:00Z

Why do we believe that our societies are freer, more prosperous or more democratic thanks to the institution of private property rather than in spite of it?

Land Ownership: A Western Fiction

Pierre Crétois — 2024-12-12T07:00:00Z

In the Volta region, there is no such thing as land ownership: Land is not traded but shared. Why, then, do our societies consider the right to appropriate land to be perfectly legitimate?

The value of land

Jacques Thisse — 2024-07-04T09:27:05Z

Developed land is a major but neglected share of property holdings. In a new book, Alain Trannoy and Etienne Wasmer analyze this form of property, identifying its causes in ways that will generate discussion about its distribution—and possible taxation.

The Grammar of Modernity

Ulysse Lojkine — 2024-01-18T08:30:00Z

The latest book by Catherine Colliot-Thèlène, who died in 2022, crowns a vast body of work in the field of political philosophy. She drew inspiration from a meticulous and enlightening reinterpretation of the classics in order to understand the contemporary world.

Toward Equality

Quentin Deluermoz — 2023-09-26T11:15:09Z

Inequality has a history that is always complex and often contradictory. The story needs to be told, because it is this story, enriched by the contributions of all the social sciences, that can help to shape realistic proposals for greater social justice.

The Ideology of Property

Marc Goetzmann — 2023-01-26T07:46:00Z

Do individuals have absolute rights to the things they have labored on? It would seem to go without saying that the answer is “yes” – and yet, this principle can be called into question. A definition of private property requires us to be in agreement with each other – and therefore to share a set of common values.

The Oligarchs' Charter

Timothy Kuhner — 2020-10-20T07:00:00Z

With taxpayer suffrage abolished and universal suffrage achieved, political participation in our democratic societies should no longer be conditioned on property ownership. However, as Timothy Kuhner shows, politics remain subservient to capital.

Against Hereditary Rights

Rafe Blaufarb — 2020-09-21T07:00:00Z

How did the French Revolution, after abolishing privilege, also become the foundation of modern inequality? Thomas Piketty's latest book focuses on the evolving ideological constructions of property across the ages and offers ways to solve the problem of inequality without challenging to the individual right to private property.

The Aporias of Property

Jean-Fabien Spitz — 2020-02-10T08:00:00Z

Private property is now sacred, and its strict definition prohibits the redress of inequalities and of environmental problems. But it was not always conceived in this way: It was invented by the French Revolution.