Henry George Institute

Henry George witnessed something that still feels familiar today: booming cities, rising wealth, and yet growing poverty. More than 140 years later, housing costs, land speculation, and economic inequality remain major challenges.

If Henry George were alive today, what do you think he would say is the biggest cause of poverty in modern society and would his ideas still work?

Who was Henry George? - Henry George Institute The Henry George Institute Quick donate The Man Behind the Idea Who was Henry George? Henry George was an American economist and social reformer born in Philadelphia. After witnessing deep poverty amid booming growth in San Francisco, he dedicated his life to understanding why progress and poverty a...

Every healthcare conversation eventually meets the ground.

Where can a clinic open? How much does a hospital site cost? Can nurses, patients, and caregivers afford to live nearby? Is there room for community health centers where people actually need them?

Henry George saw that location value is not created by landowners alone. It grows from community: roads, neighbors, schools, businesses, public services, and human cooperation. HGI summarizes the idea clearly: land value is created by society, so it should benefit everyone.

A Land Value Tax collects the value of land itself, not the buildings, clinics, homes, or improvements on it. That means productive use is encouraged, while holding valuable land idle becomes less rewarding.

For healthcare, that matters. Better land policy can make it easier to fund public goods, reduce pressure on workers and builders, and support care closer to where people live.

Healthcare access is not just insurance coverage. It is also access to place.

Healthcare is one of the clearest modern examples of Henry George’s question in Progress and Poverty: Why does poverty persist in the middle of progress?

We have medical technology earlier generations could barely imagine, yet cost still keeps people away from doctors, prescriptions, and follow-up care. The U.S. spent $5.3 trillion on healthcare in 2024, yet many families still delay care because they cannot afford it.

George’s insight was that society creates enormous value together, especially land value, but too much of that value is privately captured while wages, buildings, and productive work are taxed.

A Land Value Tax would not replace doctors, insurance reform, or drug-pricing reform. It would change the funding base: collect community-created land value and reduce taxes on work and production. That revenue could help fund clinics, public health, and access without squeezing paychecks.

Healthcare affordability is not only a medical issue. It is also a question of economic design.

If progress makes land more valuable, we should talk about who gets that value and what a fair system looks like. Want more posts like this? Follow + share + tell me what topic next: rent, taxes, homelessness, booms/busts.

https://henrygeorge.org/bob/

Home - Henry George Institute Our courses cast light on today's baffling economic problems.

‘All taxes work the same.’ Land is different because supply is fixed. Should fixed-supply things be taxed differently?

https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/chicago-fed-letter/2023/489

Land Value Taxes—What They Are and Where They Come From - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Changes to property tax structures, including the introduction of split-rate taxation, have been seeing increased interest from policymakers. Split-rate property taxation is rooted in the concept of land value taxation, which is an alternative to the form of property taxation used in most U.S. commu...

If you could ask Henry George one question about today’s housing market, what would it be? Drop your question-short is fine.

https://henrygeorge.org/bob/principles-of-political-economy/

Principles of Political Economy - Henry George Institute This three-part study is a survey of basic principles that will give the student a thorough grounding in fundamental economic concepts. Each part is complete in itself, and may be pursued separately — but the entire series is well worth your time, and will bring you the fullest benefits. The basic...

Share a photo: an empty lot near a busy street + caption ‘Why is this still empty? Post a photo (or describe a spot) where land sits unused.

https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/chicago-fed-letter/2023/489

Land Value Taxes—What They Are and Where They Come From - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Changes to property tax structures, including the introduction of split-rate taxation, have been seeing increased interest from policymakers. Split-rate property taxation is rooted in the concept of land value taxation, which is an alternative to the form of property taxation used in most U.S. commu...

One practical policy idea from Georgist thinking: shift taxes off work and onto land value. What would you reduce if land value revenue increased?

https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/chicago-fed-letter/2023/489

Land Value Taxes—What They Are and Where They Come From - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Changes to property tax structures, including the introduction of split-rate taxation, have been seeing increased interest from policymakers. Split-rate property taxation is rooted in the concept of land value taxation, which is an alternative to the form of property taxation used in most U.S. commu...

If landowners capture the ‘community-created’ value, inequality can widen even when the economy grows. Do you think inequality is more about wages… or assets like land?

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/progress-and-poverty/

“The Great Enigma of Our Times”: Henry George’s *Poverty and Progress* (1881 edition) A landmark work of social reform — proposing a land value tax — that helped usher in the Progressive Era.

Who made the land—people or nature? Who makes land value—one owner or the whole community? Answer in 1 sentence.

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/progress-and-poverty/

“The Great Enigma of Our Times”: Henry George’s *Poverty and Progress* (1881 edition) A landmark work of social reform — proposing a land value tax — that helped usher in the Progressive Era.