Inherited Wealth, Justice and Equality

This collection of thirteen essays explores contemporary intellectual and legal discourse surrounding inheritance and bequeathing. They emerge from a workshop whose title the collection retains, though a few are sourced by other experts. They interrogate the history of property transfer among Western countries, with one notable exception: the second essay is about a 16th-century Spanish theologian's ethnological writings on New World natives and their version of dominion rights. Most though focus on the ways inheritance effects inequalities and the injustices that attend to them. Some focus on Enlightenment property rights theory, trustees and other wealth managers, the French's positive results of higher inheritance taxation, 19th -century inheritance equalization schemes, and more. The contributors are mostly European economics and law professors, but include several research institute directors. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Guido Errygers is Professor and Chair at the Department of Economics, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

John Cunliffe is Associate Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies, (PAIS), University of Warwick, UK