Agency

Robert Schalkenbach Foundation

No

External (International)

Our funding seeks to support projects that advocate ideas and programs compatible with Henry George’s philosophy of economic justice. George’s central thesis was that policies should avoid the perpetuation of unearned privilege, particularly those forms that allow economic rent, or socially-produced surplus, to be privatized. Henry George believed economic rent should be used for public purposes. (Economic rent is a technical concept, distinct from contract rent, such as what tenants pay to landlords for housing.) Georgist thought does not conform to the political philosophies of either the Left or the Right. We favor free markets, but we criticize the concept of absolute ownership of land (real property other than improvements) that so often characterizes conservative and libertarian thought. We favor policies that would create equality of opportunity, but not through education, union organizing, economic planning, welfare programs, land reform, or other regulations or subsidies that have been favored by progressives. We propose to reformulate property rights to ensure that market-generated income is earned. That is quite different than allowing some income to be earned unjustly and then redistributing all sources of income without a clear moral principle for doing so, which is what current broad-based taxes do. In our funding we are looking for applicants who have an understanding of these issues and who recognize that Georgist philosophy represents a “third way” that is distinct from capitalism and socialism or from progressive and libertarian ideals. Because Georgist philosophy is not widely recognized as a comprehensive social theory on a par with public choice theory, socialism, or progressive thought, our major aim is to enhance the visibility and credibility of Georgism as a theoretically viable approach to analyzing and resolving social problems.

This agency has no competitions in our database.