Evolution and Environment in the Property Scholarship of James Krier

Abstract

This article is brief appreciation of the enormous contributions that Jim Krier has made to property law scholarship. It focuses on his engagement with theories about the evolution of property rights, and argues that Krier learned from his work in environmental law to be skeptical about just-so theories of institutional evolution, including the evolution of property. Instead, Krier has been constantly attentive to the reasons why institutional responses to resource problems actually unfold as they do, following their twists and turns through both successes and mishaps.

Keywords: James Krier, property rights, environmental law, resource problems