Progress and Poverty

Progress and Poverty (1879) by Henry George argues that economic progress paradoxically produces poverty alongside wealth. George claims this happens because increases in productivity and population raise land values, allowing landowners to capture unearned wealth (economic rent) while wages remain low and inequality grows. He criticizes private land ownership as the root cause of poverty and social injustice, and proposes a solution: a ＂single tax＂ on land value, replacing other taxes. This, he argues, would discourage land speculation, distribute wealth more fairly, and allow progress to benefit everyone.