Ting Xu - Böcker

Whilst historically communal property has had very different meanings and functions in the UK, China, and other regions of the world, parallel developments are emerging, and modern perceptions are converging even as each region faces its own unique challenges in the management of land and natural resources. These developments have raised an important question: What legal strategies are most likely to promote the development and protection of communal property? Answers to this question will not only guide domestic debates on resource governance and community development, but also provoke global discussions and help to formulate global guidelines to address pressing challenges. Contributions to Legal Strategies for the Development and Protection of Communal Property focus on legal strategies for the development and protection of communal property as it relates to land and other natural resources, considering how these strategies 'map' over different jurisdictions (England and Wales, Scotland, South Africa, Cameroon, Italy, Israel, and China) and through different jurisprudential approaches. Legal Strategies for the Development and Protection of Communal Property looks at property beyond the traditional, individualist, and exclusive ownership model, placing the focus on communal property from different standpoints and linking the empirical perspective with the theoretical perspective. In doing so, it challenges the theory of communal property through empirical case studies, not only linking theory with practice but also linking the local with the global.

Property as a human rights concern is manifested through its incorporation in international instruments and as a subject of the law through property-related cases considered by international human rights organs. Yet, for the most part, the relationship between property and human rights has been discussed in rather superficial terms, lacking a clear substantive connection or common language. That said, the currents of globalisation have witnessed a new era of interrelation between these two areas of the law, including the emergence of international intellectual property law and the recognition of indigenous claims, which, in fundamental ways, speak to an engagement with human rights law. This collection starts the conversation between human rights lawyers and property lawyers and explores analytical approaches to the increasing relationship between property and human rights in a global context. The chapters engage with key theoretical and policy debates and range across three main themes: The re-evaluation of the public/private divide in the law; the tensions between the market and social justice in development and the balance between the rights of individuals and those of communities. The chapters adopt a global, comparative perspective and engage in case studies from countries including India, Philippines, Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom and includes various regions of Africa and Europe.