By comparing the development of landownership in China and England, this paper explores what were behind their different trajectories. In particular, I examined the delineation of property rights, alienation of land, rent and tax, inheritance and accumulation of land. Feudal England was a combination of the Roman system and Anglo-Saxon tradition. From that very strict hierarchical structure England has experienced an evolution toward free land market. In contrast, since very early China has established a unique economic system that allowed free alienation of land, but it has been trying to check the development of land market and private property rights by various means, the most important of which is the strengthening and expanding of patriarchal clan system. The different development paths of China and England show the different responses of two different cultures, which are oriented toward family and individual, respectively, to the same problems related to landownership.
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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number
2241.
Find related papers by JEL classification: Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights N95 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Asia including Middle East P52 - Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Studies of Particular Economies N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
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