Martin Adams

Summary

Martin Adams is a systems thinker, software engineer, and author of Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2015), an accessible popular introduction to Georgist economics released under a Creative Commons license and available free online. After studying business and finance, Adams chose not to pursue a Wall Street career, instead working in community development and social enterprise — experience he credits with shaping the book's argument that the private capture of land rent is a root cause of wealth inequality and ecological strife, according to his own biographical note.

Adams is a contributor and editor at Progress.org, the long-running Georgist online publication, where his essays (2015–2021) include a memorial for Fred Foldvary, coverage of Mason Gaffney's 2015 China-crash prediction, and an introduction of the documentary Real Estate 4 Ransom to Progress.org readers. He is listed as an advisor to Common Wealth Canada.

Adams now publishes short educational pieces on land value and its measurement at Unitism, the site that also hosts his book; they restate the book's argument rather than extend it.[5]

Key Works

• Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World (North Atlantic Books, 2015) — book page

See Also

• Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World — book page
• Fred Foldvary — economist whose geo-libertarian work Adams draws on
• Economic Rent — the concept at the center of Adams's argument
• Land Speculation — Adams presents speculation as the root mechanism of inequality and recessions

Sources

1. "About the Author," Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World official book site (unitism.com). https://www.unitism.com/book/en/about-the-author — used for Adams's background as a systems thinker and software engineer who studied business and finance and declined a Wall Street career (A-claims).
2. Martin Adams author page, Progress.org. https://www.progress.org/authors/martin-adams/ — used for his contributor/editor role and the range and dates of his Progress.org essays (A-claims).
3. Martin Adams, Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2015). Book page — used for publication details and the Creative Commons release (A-claims).
4. Common Wealth Canada wiki page — used for the advisor listing (A-claim; see that page's sources).
5. Martin Adams, "What Is Land Value and Why It Shapes Housing Costs" and "How to Determine Value of Land for Reform," Unitism, September 2026. unitism.com · unitism.com — used only for the fact that he publishes there (D-claim; Tier 2 educational pieces, not support).