The California gold rush: A study of emerging property rights

Abstract

In this framing paper for the special issue on land use tools for mitigating boom and bust dynamics we present a framework to analyze the effects of dramatic ups and downs on communities. The explicit aim of this framework is to identify the potential of land use tools, broadly understood, to mitigate the effects of these cycles. Application of our framework entails a deep analysis of the development path of the community, or its governance path. We make the argument that such analysis can help to get a precise picture of the effects of boom and bust and at the same time help find ways of moving forward and identify coordination tools that could work in the context of that particular governance path. We argue that land use tools are more effective when they are part of a cohesive strategy for long-term development, yet that such linking and embedding is not always possible. We highlight the importance of institutional capacity and flexibility in tempering boom and bust and allowing opportunities for adaptation. We list common pitfalls, problematic policy prescriptions and mention goals to be encouraged. In some cases unrecognized forms of coordination, both formal and informal, can be potentially helpful in capacity building towards mitigating boom and bust. In cases where strategy is unlikely, under particularly difficult conditions, we suggest to focus on capacity building in what we call transitional governance. This governance configuration is meant to have a limited lifespan and provides the conditions from which strategy and associated land use tools can be envisioned and implemented.