Wednesday, February 27, 2008
-Index of 115 countries measures connection between private property rights and economic well-being-
ACCRA – Today, AfricanLiberty.org is proud to announce the release of the 2008 International Property Rights Index (IPRI), which measures 115 countries on the significance of both physical and intellectual property rights and their protection for economic well-being. Forty-one organizations from six continents, including IMANI, partnered with Property Rights Alliance in Washington, DC and its Hernando de Soto Fellowship program to disseminate the report.
In order to incorporate and grasp the important aspects related to property rights protection, the 2008 IPRI focuses on three areas: Legal and Political Environment (LP), Physical Property Rights (PPR), and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Ninety-six (96) percent of world GDP is represented by the incorporated countries, and demonstrates that countries in the top quartile of the Index have an average GDP per capita more than nine times that of those in the bottom quartile.
With regard to Ghana, the protection of physical property rights continues to be a challenge as evidenced by the thousands of decade-long disputed land cases pending in our slow-paced law courts. Intellectual property rights are hardly respected as evidenced by the extent of pirated works of art, from music videos to ordinary cassettes. Even medicines are faked as we do not know the extent of counterfeited drugs dodging our borders.
The International Property Rights Index will provide the public, researchers and policymakers, from across the globe, with a tool for comparative analysis and future research on global property rights. The Index seeks to assist underperforming countries to develop robust economies through an emphasis on sound property law.
Franklin Cudjoe, Editor of AfricanLiberty.org and Executive Director of IMANI, said that "the IPR Index provides the Ghanaian government a unique opportunity to fine tune it attempts at formulating a comprehensive Land Administration Project, so as to make it into the 2009 Index "
For more information, such as a country-by-country analysis, list of global partner organizations, or the report in its entirety, visit http://www.internationalpropertyrightsindex.org/ Otherwise, please contact franklin@imanighana.com