A Legal and Economic Analysis of Graffiti
Humanomics, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 29-38, 2007
12 Pages Posted: 4 Jan 2020
Abstract
A case for the de-criminalization of graffiti is made, based on the existence of an unjust government, and predicated on private property rights. A distinction is made between artistic trespass, or vandalism, on the one hand, which we claim can be undertaken only on private property, and, on the other, graffiti, which in our view can only occur on public property. If the government that claims ownership of the latter is an illicit one, then graffiti can reasonably be interpreted as a justified attack on it, or rebellion.
Keywords: graffiti, art, painting, property rights
JEL Classification: L82, Z1
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation