Does Georgism Work? (Doucet, ACX series)

Summary

Lars Doucet's "Does Georgism Work?" series, published on Astral Codex Ten in 2021–22, is the most widely read modern empirical examination of land value taxation. Written for a general but analytically demanding audience, it grew out of Doucet's ACX Book Review Contest-winning review of Progress and Poverty and launched the contemporary Georgism revival in rationalist and effective-altruist circles.

The Three Parts

1. Is land really a big deal? Examines whether land values are large enough to matter — concluding they are, consistent with Rognlie and Bonnet et al.
2. Can landlords pass LVT on to tenants? Works through tax incidence and argues that, because land supply is fixed, an LVT is borne by the landowner and cannot be passed to tenants.
3. Can unimproved land value be assessed? Tackles the assessment objection and concludes land can be assessed with accuracy at least comparable to existing property assessment.

Bears On

• Outcome: Landlords cannot pass LVT on to tenants
• Objection: Land value can't be assessed accurately

Sources

1. Lars Doucet (2021–22), Does Georgism Work? — Part 1: Is Land Really a Big Deal? · Part 2: Can Landlords Pass LVT to Tenants? · Part 3: Can Land Be Assessed?, Astral Codex Ten
2. Lars Doucet (2023), Land Is a Big Deal (book). landisabigdeal.com