Property Rights Are Human Rights: Why and How Land Titles Matter to Indigenous People

Indigenous peoples’ land rights around the world have long been violated or weakened by hostile or wrong-headed government policies. Tim Wilson will explain why property rights are human rights, and how legal impediments still undermine the ability of Aboriginal and other indigenous Australians to use their land titles as they see fit, including with various ownership structures. Karol Boudreaux will discuss how legal, social, and technological developments on the five continents are increasingly devolving property rights to indigenous and local people. Both speakers will discuss how this shift toward rights can help reduce poverty, improve governance, discourage land grabs, reduce conflict, and manage natural resources and the environment.