Hi, I'm Alyssa Milano, and. I'm Ben Jackson.

Alyssa is away filming a TV show, but she'll be back in just a week or two.

For most of human history, power has come from landholding.

How land is allocated, or taken and reallocated, determines who controls entire cultures.

In his new book, Land Power, Who Has It, Who Doesn't,

and how that determines the fate of societies, Michael Albertus takes us through how it happens

and what it means for all of us.

So why is it that more people are buying raw land in the United States than ever before?

I kind of think of an issue that needs more attention around the world,

particularly when we're talking about driving the fundamental challenges that continue to plague societies

that undermine liberties than the importance of reasserting the primacy of property rights.

Rancher Clive and Bundy says the land that I'm standing on right now has been in his family for generations since the 1870s.

And in his mind, he's not just fighting some unfair fees. He's fighting to keep Uncle Sam out of everyone's backyard.

Land reform has been touted as a way to reduce rural poverty rates and raise overall economic growth.

Giving farmers' legal title to their land gives them security, as well as the collateral,

to be able to take out loans and invest in their farms.

I'm Mike Albertus, and I work to share lessons on what it takes to make a fair and just

side. Sorry Not Sorry. Michael Albertus, welcome to Sorry Not Sorry. Let's start by just asking you to tell our

listeners a little bit about who you are and the work that you do. Thanks for inviting me on the show. I'm a professor

of political science at the University of Chicago, and I study how countries allocate opportunity

of being among their citizens and the consequences this has for society, as well as why some

countries are democratic and others aren't. So I want to start right in with the book, and wondering if

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