The economic philosophy of Henry George: land and natural resources belong in common, so the rent they yield should fund public needs through a tax on land value, leaving labor and capital untaxed.
Extended definition
Henry George set out the argument in Progress and Poverty (1879). As an economy grows, the holders of land capture a rising share of its gains as rent, which is why poverty persists alongside progress. His remedy, the “single tax” on the unimproved value of land, would return that rent to the public and let taxes on labor and trade fall away.
Ecological economists have extended the principle from land to other natural resources and to the capacity of the biosphere to absorb waste. The wiki’s page on Herman Daly describes him as a Georgist economist.
Related terms
Sources
- George, H. (1879). Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth.
Provenance
Stub entry created 27 September 2026 in the Quartz Sanitation run, to give a page to links from the Herman Daly page that pointed at no page. Written from George’s published work and general reference knowledge. First-pass entry: sections require enrichment from the underlying project documents.