Maine land: Private property and hunting commons

Abstract

In the burgeoning literature on property rights, relatively little analysis has been done on the relation between property rights regimes (i.e., individual property, state property, clan property), and the types of goods that are produced. In Maine [U.S.A.], the decisions of landowners are strongly influenced by government regulation which creates a number of types of goods. In addition, some of the rights to that land are appropriated by the public who use this land for recreation. Although the right of the public to use private land is under attack, currently this forestland is both privately owned and a recreational commons. At the same time, new property institutions are coming into being. As a result, a single “privately owned” parcel of land produces private goods, public goods, common pool resources and toll goods all at the same time. The Maine case points out that the relationship between various kinds of property rights and goods is more complicated than has been assumed by many social scientists involved in the “commons” debate.