Amid the shift towards neoliberalism and the privatization of resources, this book provides a radical new lens to view property and property theory.

Boldly challenging the conventional theories of property law that have shaped our understanding for centuries, leading expert Paddy Ireland explores the rise and growth of new intangible property forms; the nature of ‘investment’ and of property-as-capital; and the empirical realities of modern property.

Raising broader questions about ownership in society, the author ignites a powerful conversation about the increasingly unequal distribution of wealth, forcing us to confront that our current property system bears considerable responsibility for the current ‘polycrisis.

This groundbreaking work will set the agenda for a new era in property theory.

"In this significant new book, which contains a powerful rebuttal of the ‘truth’ of law and economics, Ireland turns his gaze toward what that other great heretical Marxist, E P Thompson, called ‘logics of process’, understanding property relations in terms of historically specific economic and social dynamics." Emilios Christodoulidis, University of Glasgow
"This book exposes the flaws of mainstream theories of property and deftly explains the complexities of ownership that characterise today’s financialised, extractive, debt-based economies. It challenges reformers content with addressing capitalism's surface issues, urging for a deeper systemic change." Anna Chadwick, University of Glasgow
"This is an absorbing and important book, essential reading for anyone interested in what property is and how it works. It gives a fascinating and highly persuasive account of the fundamental mismatch between the notion of property as assumed by mainstream property theory and as it actually exists in contemporary capitalism." Alison Clarke, University of Surrey

Paddy Ireland is Professor of Law at the University of Bristol.