Property occupies a surprisingly marginal position in contemporary economic theory, despite its foundational importance to market economies. In traditional neoclassical approaches, property rights are typically assumed rather than analyzed—they constitute part of the background institutional framework that enables exchange, but are rarely treated as objects of inquiry themselves. The price mechanism and market equilibrium take center stage, while the legal and social arrangements that determine who owns what, and what ownership entails, remain largely invisible.

A notable exception is the incomplete contracts literature, which explicitly examines how the allocation of ownership rights affects final allocations. Here, property becomes analytically central: ownership is understood as conferring residual control rights over assets, and the optimal assignment of these rights emerges as a crucial determinant of organizational boundaries and economic outcomes. Yet even this strand of research treats property primarily through the lens of efficiency and incentive alignment, leaving broader questions about the legitimacy, justice, and social meaning of property largely unaddressed.

Beyond economics, property remains a vibrant topic across the social sciences and political philosophy, where a wider range of normative and analytical frameworks come into play. Legal scholars examine how property rights are constructed, enforced, and contested, while sociologists and anthropologists explore the cultural meanings and social practices surrounding ownership in different contexts. In contemporary political philosophy, debates continue between libertarian approaches that treat property rights as natural or pre-political entitlements, liberal egalitarian perspectives that subject property to principles of distributive justice, and  traditions that emphasize property's role in enabling domination or fostering solidarity.

This summer school aims to bridge these diverse disciplinary perspectives, bringing together insights from economic theory, legal analysis, history, and political philosophy to develop a richer, more multidimensional understanding of property as both an economic institution and a site of normative contestation.

The school is organized over three days at Villa Mondragone, in Monteporzio Catone.

Draft Programme

JUNE 17th, 9:00-17:00

Speakers:

• Ellen Muir (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Camille Landais (London School of Economics)
• Maximilian Kasi (University of Oxford)

JUNE 18th, 9:00-17:00

Speakers:

JUNE 19th, 9:00-17:00

Speakers:

In what follows you can find useful indications to reach Villa Mondragone

Directions 

Fiumicino Airport  
From Fiumicino airport take the fast train (LEONARDO EXPRESS) to Termini railway station (departures every 30 minutes, first departure at 06:35, last departure at 23:35, ticket 9,50 €.
A taxi to reach Rome should cost around 40,00/60,00 €.
Frascati downtown can be conveniently reached from Termini central railway station by train. Trains nearly every hour; journey takes about 40 minutes. Tickets are available at the Station and cost 1,70 €.

Ciampino Airport  
The following bus and train services are available from Ciampino:
• the Terravision bus (Roma Termini central station - Roma Ciampino airport )
• the Cotral/Schiaffini bus nightly connections (Roma Termini central station - Roma Ciampino airport )
• the subway + the Cotral/Schiaffini bus (Line A, Anagnina station - Roma Ciampino airport )
• the train + the Cotral/Schiaffini bus (Ciampino railway station - Roma Ciampino airport)
Back

From Termini Railway Station  
Take the underground "A" to the final stop Anagnina (ticket 1 €).
From ANAGNINA underground "A" final stop catch a blue COTRAL bus direction Rocca Priora (bus-shelter n.° 6) to Monteporzio Catone and get off at the Villa Mondragone.
Frascati downtown can be conveniently reached from Termini central railway station by train. Trains nearly every hour; journey takes about 40 minutes. Tickets are available at the Station and cost 1,70 €.

By Car or Taxi/Uber
From highway A1 Milano - Napoli or from highway A24 Roma - L'Aquila/Pescara: follow direction Roma Sud, exit Monte Porzio Catone, then follow signs to Villa Mondragone and Hotel Villa Vecchia (follow the road signs for Frascati).
From downtown Rome:
take the G.R.A. (Grande Raccordo Anulare, the ring highway around Rome) to the highway A1 Roma - Napoli, then exit Monte Porzio Catone. Follow signs to Villa Mondragone and Hotel Villa Vecchia.

Accommodations

Below are some of the hotels in convention with Tor Vergata University in Frascati

• Hotel Flora, Viale Vittorio Veneto, 8, Frascati (Rome)
  
• Hotel Colonna, Piazza del Gesù, 12, Frascati (Rome)
  
• Hotel Villa Mercede, Via Tuscolana, 20, Frascati (Rome)
• Hotel Villa Vecchia, Via Frascati, 49, Frascati (Rome)
• Residence Frascati, Via Carlo Lucidi, 2, Frascati (Rome)
• Antica Terrazza Frascati, Via Garibaldi, 1, Frascati (Rome)

Scientific Organisers

CNRS-TSE and University of Rome Tor Vergata

Andrea Attar

Köln Universität

Felix Bierbrauer

Princeton University

Philip Pettit

Queen Mary University of London

Roberto Veneziani

Organising Committee

Scientific Committee