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Concept
Law of rent
Summary
The law of rent states that the rent of a land site is equal to the economic advantage obtained by using the site in its most productive use, relative to the advantage obtained by using marginal (i.e., the best rent-free) land for the same purpose, given the same inputs of labor and capital.
The law of rent was formulated by David Ricardo around 1809, and presented in its most developed form in his magnum opus, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation. This is the origin of the term "Ricardian rent". Ricardo's formulation of the law was the first clear exposition of the source and magnitude of rent.
John Stuart Mill called it the "pons asinorum" of economics.
Ricardo formulated this law based on the principles put forth by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations.
"The rent of land, therefore, considered as the price paid for the use of the land, is naturally a monopoly price. It is not at all proportioned to what the landlord may have laid out upon the improvement of the land, or to what he can afford to take; but to what the farmer can afford to give." — Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter XI "Of the Rent of Land"
Ricardian rent should not be confused with contract rent, which is the "actual payments tenants make for use of the properties of others." (Barlow 1986). Rather, the law of rent refers to the economic return that land should accrue for its use in production.
David Ricardo elaborates on the significance of land on relative prices through his Theory of Rent. The Theory of Rent applies when the individual who possesses the land is distinct from the individual cultivating the land. #1 The producer must pay the landlord for the employment of their land to produce their desired commodity (Ricardo 1911, p. 42).#2 If the land is more productive than other lands, the person renting the land pays more. In contrast, the renter pays a lower price if the land is less sustainable. However, the profit the producer obtains from their production from the land accounts for the price difference in rent (Kishtainy 2018, p.
Official source
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