In his book Progress and Poverty, Henry George made a daring proposal to abolish the private economic ownership of land by socializing rent through the radical land value tax. Published in the late 19th century, this book would quickly become a national bestseller and influence figures such as Leo Tolstoy and Sun Yat-Sen.

This idea that once changed the world has today become an obscure footnote in the history of socioeconomic affairs. However, in the midst of the ongoing housing, climate, and cost-of-living crisis the land value tax has gained a renewed interest.

This DeCal course will introduce you to the land value tax as a political concept and explore whether it can serve as a viable solution to today's problems, an answer to which you are expected to form your own independent and critically informed answer. To achieve this, this course will explore the following:

- The theory of the land value tax. In addition to Progress and Poverty, works from Thomas Paine, Thomas Pence, and Thomas Skidmore will also be examined.
- Case studies of how policies similar to the land value tax have been implemented in Singapore and Hong Kong.
- Contemporary socioeconomic issues in relation to the land value tax.

A few notes about this course:

- No prior knowledge about the land value tax is required.
- This course is reading, writing, and discussion based. There are no timed tests or quizzes.
- Readings will be provided digitally

Enrollment is first come first served via CalCentral. Go to Enrollment Center > Search Class and Enroll, and then use the course number 18903 to find this course. If the course is full, please join our waitlist and email kevinli763@berkeley.edu. Please email me if you are asked to provide a permission number.