Eminent Domain and the Decline of Detroit

Detroit's sixty year decline, culminating in its recent bankruptcy, has many causes. But one that should not be ignored is the city's extensive use of eminent domain to transfer property to politically influential private interests. For many years, Detroit aggressively used eminent domain to promote "economic development" and "urban renewal."

Ilya Somin writes:

Eminent domain abuse certainly wasn't the only cause of Detroit's troubles. But the city's record is a strong argument against oft-heard claims that the use of eminent domain to transfer property to private economic interests is the key to revitalizing economically troubled cities. In addition to the immediate destruction and dislocation caused by such takings, they also tend to deter investment by undermining confidence in the security of property rights. One of the main findings of recent scholarship in development economics is that secure property rights are an important factor in promoting long-term economic growth. As economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson put it in their much-praised recent book Why Nations Fail, "secure private property rights are central [to development], since only those with such rights will be willing to invest and increase productivity" (pg. 75). Detroit is an abject example of what happens when policymakers ignore this reality.

Hopefully, more people will learn from Detroit's example, and realize that the road to prosperity is paved with property rights, not economic development takings.