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The Demarcation of Land and the Role of Coordinating Institutions

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Author Info
Gary D. Libecap
Dean Lueck
Abstract

This paper examines the origins and economic effects of the two dominant land demarcation systems: metes and bounds (MB) and the rectangular system (RS). Under MB property is demarcated by its perimeter as indicated by natural features and human structures and linked to surveys within local political jurisdictions. Under RS land demarcation is governed by a common grid with uniform square shapes, sizes, alignment, and geographically-based addresses. In the U.S. MB largely is used in the original 13 states, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The RS is found elsewhere under the Land Ordinance of 1785 that divided federal lands into square-mile sections. We develop an economic framework for examining land demarcation systems and draw predictions. Our empirical analysis focuses on a 39-county area of Ohio where both MB and RS were used in adjacent areas as a result of exogenous historical factors. The results indicate that topography influences parcel shape and size under a MB system; that parcel shapes are aligned under the RS; and that the RS is associated with higher land values, more roads, more land transactions, and fewer legal disputes than MB, all else equal. The comparative limitations of MB appear to have had negative long-term effects on land values and economic activity in the sample area.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 14942.

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Date of creation: May 2009
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14942

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, and Operations
D18 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Protection
K11 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Property Law
K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Corporation and Securities Law
L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
L38 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Policy
N51 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
N60 - Economic History - - Manufacturing and Construction - - - General, International, or Comparative
O13 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
O20 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - General
Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation
Q24 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Land
Q28 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy
R14 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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  5. Wiggins, Steven N & Libecap, Gary D, 1985. "Oil Field Unitization: Contractual Failure in the Presence of Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(3), pages 368-85, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Barzel, Yoram, 1982. "Measurement Cost and the Organization of Markets," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 25(1), pages 27-48, April.
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  10. Lueck, Dean, 1995. "The Rule of First Possession and the Design of the Law," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(2), pages 393-436, October.
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  1. Lee J. Alston & Edwyna Harris & Bernardo Mueller, 2009. "De Facto and De Jure Property Rights: Land Settlement and Land Conflict on the Australian, Brazilian and U.S. Frontiers," NBER Working Papers 15264, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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