The launch of Hoover’s Task Force on Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity was on October 30, 2008. At a dinner, Tad and Dianne Taube Director John Raisian introduced task force members Terry Anderson (co-chair), Gary Libecap (co-chair), Richard Epstein, Stephen Haber, James Huffman, Scott Kieff, Jonathan Macey, James Robinson, and Henry Smith.

The Task Force on Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity aims to investigate the philosophical, historical, legal, and economic foundations of property rights through scholarship and collaborative research among an interdisciplinary group of scholars that includes economists and legal experts. Together, this team will explore the issue of property rights in a contemporary context. Members will examine how secure property rights help foster economic development, encourage natural resource stewardship, advance investment in intellectual and physical capital, and encourage sound business practices while promoting liberty and individual responsibility.