Question Earthority!

“There is considerable evidence from other research that secure property rights yield improved environmental quality, more efficient resource allocation, and higher wealth. Despite this, many people around the world remain suspicious of market systems and the private property rights essential to their functioning. Such attitudes arguably block the spread of markets, leaving millions of individuals mired in abject poverty. The present study implies that the beliefs held by market skeptics may in fact be subject to change—if the advantages of secure property rights and the operation of free markets can be demonstrated close enough to home. The importance of this study is that it suggests that changes in attitudes are no accident, and that it may be possible, on a broader scale, to overcome the widespread hostility toward market systems.” (06/07)