John McLaughlin

The marzēaḥ existed for 3000 years in the Semitic world, but is only mentioned in the First Testament at Amos 6:7 and Jer 16:5. Other prophetic texts have been proposed as allusions that do not use the term, but without using any consistent criteria. This study analyzes those allusions in light of the extra-biblical references. The extra-biblical marzēaḥ references indicate three consistent features: upper-class drinking within a religious context. These elements provide the minimum criteria for evaluating possible allusions in the books of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Ezekiel, plus the direct references at Amos 6:7 and Jeremiah 16:5. Combining all known references with the biblical allusions provides a single point of reference for future work on the marzēaḥ. This volume will be of special value to those interested in ancient Semitic religion.

The role of property in fostering good governance, robust economies, and strong civil societies has received fresh attention in the wake of the collapse of communism, the adoption of a market driven approach to the economy, and the increasing impact of information technology. Some of these reforms have focused on a diverse package of measures dealing with land tenure security, land and property transactions, and access to credit. They have also been concerned with supporting physical planning, the sustainable management and control of land use and of natural resources, and facilitating real property taxation. As well, there has been a growing awareness of the requirement to address such issues as the protection of the environment and the provision of land for all people whatever their gender, but especially for the poor and ethnic minorities. Land Administration provides a high level overview of recent advances in building formal property systems throughout the world and reviews the role of property in advancing a society's economic and social agenda. It undertakes an in-depth examination of the land administration infrastructure required to support these modern property systems, giving particular attention to the survey, registration, valuation, and land use control functions. The text also provides an extended discussion of the information management challenges associate with the land administration field.