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12 British J. Pol. & Int'l Rel. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/bhjlplcs12 and id is 1 raw text is: doi: 10.1111/j.1467-856X.2009.00389.x BJPIR: 2010 VOL 12, 1-2 Introduction: The Politics of Property Robert Lamb Property is a concept that dominates modern political life. Debates about a diverse range of political issues-inheritance tax, the land rights claims of aboriginal peoples, global poverty, the rights of ramblers, the ownership of intellectual and technological innovations, rights over our internal organs and claims that consum- ers should buy purportedly non-exploitative 'fair trade' produce-are united by a shared concern with rights of ownership. Discussion of each of these issues invites competing conceptual, normative and critical claims about what property is, the nature of its just ownership and distribution and the problems it presents for particular political communities. Property is also a concept of perennial interest in the history of political thought, one that has preoccupied thinkers since (at least) Cicero and is central to the writing of many, other, modern canonical thinkers, from those (such as Locke and Hegel) who have sought to provide a robust justification for its existence to those (such as Marx and Proudhon) who have attempted to undermine its legitimacy. In spite of the centrality of property in historical and contemporary political theory, current scholarship devoted to the subject has seemed somewhat fragmented, especially in comparison to other key concepts such as justice, democracy, freedom or power. It is with this apparent fragmentation in mind that the Politics of Property Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association (PSA) was established in 2008. Its main ambition is to promote a more focused approach to research on all aspects of property, by bringing together various political, moral, legal and historical per- spectives on the subject. The group makes no assumptions about approaches or methodologies and not only recognises but celebrates the many different ways this subject can be approached. Property is a topic that invites practitioners in many different disciplines, as is reflected in one of the main aims of the group: to promote a genuinely interdisciplinary conversation between these practitioners. Further information about the group and our activities can be found at http:// www.politicsofproperty.org.uk. Most of the articles included in this special issue-which brings together a varied mixture of scholarly voices and theoretical approaches-were presented at the group's successful inaugural conference, held at the University of Exeter in April 2009. Three of the articles address key normative, philosophical questions: Rowan Cruft asks whether private property ownership can ever be considered a basic human right and argues that it cannot, even though violations of the two often appear to be grounded in the same concerns; James Penner assesses the modern philosophical attempt to use Kant to defend a state duty to support the poor in terms of property, arguing that such a duty cannot be defended and is a mere distraction from broader issues of justice and community; and Stuart White con- siders the question of whether a state grant of basic capital is fairer than subsidies targeted specifically for higher education. Three other essays offer critical perspec- Political Studies © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Political Studies Association Association 60°3ears of political studies

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