The Transformation of Property Rights in the Gold Coast explores the complex political process by which property rights are defined and enforced in two traditional states in colonial Ghana. The case studies ask how colonial institutions transformed indigenous political and economic life; and how colonization and decolonization affected prospects for future economic development and stability in Africa.

The introductory chapter outlines a theory for the transformation of property rights. The remaining chapters apply this formal theory through an empirical analysis of the transformation of property rights within an African context. These chapters draw explicitly on rational choice theories to analyze indigenous actors' attempts to redefine and enforce property rights to land by "reinventing" the traditions of their respective communities.

These theories help to explain why property rights systems across Africa remain fluid and insecure.