Should land be owned?

Gill Westcott and Julian Pratt consider a radical proposal

by Gill Westcott and Julian Pratt 28th October 2016

The Principles for a new economy, put forward after much consultation by the Quaker new economy project, states as the goal for a society that reflects Quaker testimonies:

All (including future beings) have an equal right to access and make use of global commons such as land, soil, water, air, and the biosphere’s capacity to process greenhouse gases, within the limits of what is sustainable. Rights to hold and use land are therefore never absolute as land is a common resource. Rights are balanced by responsibilities for the good of all.