Celebrating the work of Ronald Coase.

This weekend in Chicago, they are celebrating the work of my favourite economist, Ronald Coase.

Markets, Firms and Property Rights
A Celebration of the Research of Ronald Coase

Friday, December 4 to Saturday, December 5, 2009
University of Chicago Law School Auditorium

This Conference brings together a group of scholars to honor the life and research of Ronald Coase. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Coase’s seminal paper on the Federal Communications Commission. 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of his paper on “The Problem of Social Cost,” and his 100th birthday.

The presentations on this occasion cover specific topics on which Coase’s work has exerted profound influence, including such areas as telecommunications policy, airline regulation and development, environmental economics, economic development, organization of the firm, and general discussions of the questions of transactions costs and social rationality to which he has contributed so much.

In the Conference Schedule I found this paper:

Coase and the New Zealand Spectrum Reforms
Charles Jackson, George Washington University

A draft version of the paper is available here. The paper makes mention of the Fountain Report:

• The Economics of Spectrum Literature: A Survey of the Literature, John Fountain, 1988, Department of Trade and Industry, Wellington, NZ.

John taught the second year microeconomics paper when I, and Rodney Hide, did it.