Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
On The Origin Of Commons: Understanding Divergent State Preferences Over Property Rights In New Frontiers617 views
Author
Sanger, Catherine, Foreign Affairs - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisors
Legro, Jeffrey, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, University of Virginia
Abstract
This article examines variation in property rights regimes in the international system. Specifically, it asks why states maintain open access and common property rights in some international frontiers, e.g. outer space, while asserting exclusive jurisdiction in others, e.g. air space. To explore the origins of these divergent outcomes I develop two alternative lenses for explaining state preferences over property rights in new frontiers, and to illustrate the value of this framework apply it to the high seas, air space, outer space, and antarctica. I find that, contrary to conventional understanding, international property rights are contested political institutions, not environmental inevitabilities. States pursue national or common ownership in response to geopolitical considerations, specifically the distribution of power and interstate rivalry, not the nature of the frontier environment.
Degree
PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Language
English
Rights
All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)
Sanger, Catherine. On The Origin Of Commons: Understanding Divergent State Preferences Over Property Rights In New Frontiers. University of Virginia, Foreign Affairs - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, PHD (Doctor of Philosophy), 2014-07-02, https://doi.org/10.18130/V31C25.
