Property Rights Alliance
The International Property Rights Index (IPRI) is the flagship publication of Property Rights Alliance. The IPRI scores the underlining institutions of a strong property rights regime: the legal and political environment, physical property rights, and intellectual property rights. It is the world’s only index entirely dedicated to the measurement of intellectual and physical property rights. Covering 129 countries the 2019 IPRI reports on the property rights systems affecting 98 percent of world Gross Domestic Product and 94 percent of world population
A tool for policymakers, business communities, and civic activists the IPRI highlights the essential role property rights play in creating a prosperous economy and just society. In addition, the 2019 Index examines the robust relationship between property rights and other economic and social indicators of well-being including – gender equality, entrepreneurship, research and development, human development, civic activism, and measures of internet connectedness.
This year more than 100 international organizations, from 72 countries, partnered with the PRA in Washington, D.C. and its Hernando De Soto Fellow Prof. Sary Levy-Carciente to produce the 12th edition of the IPRI.
A Letter From
Hernando de Soto
I congratulate Property Rights Alliance Executive Director Lorenzo Montanari and the 2019 Hernando De Soto fellow Dr. Sary Levy Carciente for their monumental achievement in constructing the 2019 International Property Rights Index, and also for their tireless work promoting property rights around the world.
Property Rights this year, as evidenced by the Index, took a slight downward turn, a global decrease of .26 percent only highlights the need to double efforts on this essential issue.
It also shouldn’t take away from the important work occurring in Eastern Europe and Latin America where property rights have improved 30 percent and 26 percent respectively since the Index began in 2007.
It is always heartening to see new countries added to the Index, though their scores are usually low, it’s a sign that basic economic and political institutions are underway and focus on reforming the property rights ecosystem can begin. This year Angola and Burkina Faso are added for the first time.
Special attention must be shown to Madagascar, the only country from the 2018 Index that could not be included in 2019, and Gabon which has not been included since 2017. It is a sign of growing political uncertainty; property rights allow citizens to keep institutions working.
It remains true that only about 1 billion people on the planet have real unquestionable rights to own their property, their ideas, and have access to markets where they can exchange them as they choose. A smaller privileged component, namely U.S. citizens, have access to “deep capital,” by having mineral rights attached to their property right, where elsewhere they are owned by the government.
Poor property rights ecosystems keep the $9.3 billion in capital owned by the other 6 billion people essentially dead, locked out of the formal economy. Their assets can be stolen, ideas copied, and wealth written off. And, as shown by the correlations in the IPRI, corruption, free-speech, access to the internet, and participation in civic processes are other knock-on effects of a poor property regime.
I consider it a great honor to introduce the International Property Rights Index and to support the work of Property Rights Alliance in their mission to nurture the public discourse on the essential role of property rights in economic development around the world.
Sincerely,
Hernando de Soto
President
Lorenzo Montanari
Lorenzo Montanari, is Executive Director of the Property Rights Alliance (PRA), an advocacy group/think tank based in Washington, DC USA, affiliated to Americans for Tax Reform, committed to the protection of physical, legal and intellectual property rights around the world. At Property Rights Alliance, Lorenzo is in charge of publishing and editing the International Property Rights Index, an international comparative study focus on intellectual and physical property rights. Previously, he worked for a public affairs firm and at the international department of the GSPM/George Washington University in Washington, DC and as a political analyst and electoral observer in Latin America for European Union. Lorenzo holds a BA in Political Science and in International Relations from the University of Bologna and MA in Political Management from the George Washington University. He collaborates with Forbes.
Philip Thompson
Philip Thompson is a Policy Analyst at PRA specializing in international intellectual property legislation and trade policy, in addition, Philip also supports the International Property Rights Index an annual publication of PRA. Before joining PRA Philip coordinated youth community development programs in the U.S. and the Caribbean for five years, he has also interned at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s foreign affairs task force and at the Cato Institute’s trade policy center. Philip holds a BA in International Conflict and Resolution and an MA in International Commerce and Policy, both from George Mason University.
Dr. Sary Levy-Carciente
PhD in Development Studies, (CENDES-UCV, 2003). Master in International Economics (UCV, 1995). Specialist in Administrative Sciences, Computing Mention (UCV, 1987). Economist (UCV, 1984). Member of the National Academy of Economics Sciences (2015 - ). Dean of the Economics and Social Sciences Faculty, UCV (2008-2011). Research Coordinator of the Social and Economic Science Faculty (2004-2008). Director of the Institute of Economic and Social Research, IIES-FaCES-UCV (2004-2008). Resource Promotion Vice-President of Fondo de Jubilaciones y Pensiones del Personal Docente y de Investigación de la UCV Foundation (2007-2008). Chief of the Research Unit in International Affairs at the IIES-FACES-UCV. Full Professor at the Economics and Social Sciences Faculty, UCV. Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Center of Polymer Studies, Physics Departmente, Boston University, MA (2013-2014) Visiting Scholar at the Economic Department, University of Massachussets, Amherst, MA (2000-2001). Board Member of: International Institute of Advanced Economic and Social Studies, Italy (2007-). Centro de Divulgación de Conocimiento Científico, CEDICE (2007-). Journal Revista Venezolana de Análisis de Coyuntura (FaCES-UCV). Journal Perfil de Coyuntura Económica (Univ. Antioquia, Colombia). Journal La Finanza (Italy). Economic and Financial Advisor of public and private corporations. Among publications: A Century of Panic (Random House Mondadori, Grijalbo), Financial Innovations, Endogenous Money and Crises: A Schumpeter’s Insight (IIAESS, Viterbo-Italy),Inestabilidad Financiera: Estudio sobre la Irregularidad y la Dinámica, (FaCES-UCV), Los Fondos Mutuales y los Sistemas Financieros, (FaCES-UCV y Tropykos),compiler of Dimensión Económica de la Globalización, (CEAP-FACES-UCV), Apuntes de Teoría Monetaria e Instituciones Financieras, (FaCES-UCV); and co-author of Miradas y Paradojas de la Globalización, (BCV); and several papers for specialized journals. Invited and paper presenter in national and international forum and meetings.