The Evolution of Resource Property Rights

Anthony Scott was born and educated in Vancouver before moving on to Harvard University and the LSE for master's and doctoral degrees. After a period of research at Cambridge University and teaching at LSE, he joined the economics department at UBC and stayed until his retirement. During this period he served in Ottawa on Royal Commissions, at the OECD on environmental problems, at the FAO on fishery problems, in the US for the Columbia River Power Authority, and in Ottawa-Washington as Commissioner on the International Joint Commission (on boundary waters problems). He has held visiting positions at Queen's University, the University of Chicago, Canberra University, University of York, Nuffield College Oxford, University of Tasmania, and Harvard University. He has been a member of the executives of the American Economic Association and the American Association of Resource Economists; editor of the journal Canadian Public Policy; and President of the Canadian Economics Association.

Preface ; 1. Concepts in Resource Property Rights ; PART I RIGHTS OVER WATER-BASED RESOURCES ; 2. Fugacious Resources and Common Property ; 3. Rights over Flowing Water ; 4. Rights over Fisheries and Fish ; PART II RIGHTS OVER MINERAL RESOURCES ; 5. Mineral Disposal and Mining Rights to 1850 ; 6. Free Mining from Medieval Europe to the Gold Rushes ; 7. After the Gold Rush: Alluvial and Hard Rock Mining on Public Land in the New World ; 8. Mineral Disposal and Mining Rights on Private Land ; 9. Rights over Coal, Oil, and Gas ; PART III RIGHTS OVER WOODS-BASED RESOURCES ; 10. Concepts of Forest Property Rights ; 11. Forestry on Public Lands from Medieval to the Modern Era ; 12. Forestry on Private Lands from the Medieval to the Modern Era ; Bibliography ; Table of legal cases