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... e, ferebat. [VIRGIL]' A. Introduction The purpose of this essay is to examine quantitatively some factors influencing the origin, development, and continued existence of particular property institutions in 100 different economies and to test a number of hypotheses concerning such matters that are derived from simple deductive models. Property relations offer a rich field for exploration by comparative economists, but, unfortunately, analysis of property is usually left to the historian, jurist, or political scientist. Of course, certain aspects of property do have political or social elements, but this should not blind us to the important economic aspects of the institution as well. Some relations between property institutions and the level of economic development have been noted-particularly by Marxists-but such analyses have been neither systematic nor quantitative. In trying to dissect the effects of the level of economic development on property institutions, a number of serious problems arise in isolating * I would like to express my deep appreciation to Robert Carneiro who supplied the anthropological data used in this study. Thanks are also due to George Dalton,