Congratulations to Dr Shitong Qiao on Receiving the Judge Ralph K Winter Prize (Yale Law School)

Congratulations to Dr Shitong Qiao whose JSD dissertation was awarded the Judge Ralph K Winter Prize 2014-15 by Yale Law School. The prize is awarded annually to the best student paper written in law and economics. Dr Qiao's thesis was entitled, "Chinese Small Property: The Co-Evolution of Law and Social Norms". The dissertation investigates a market of informal real estate in China, referenced by the term “small property” (xiaochanquan), as their property rights are smaller/weaker than the big/formal property rights. His dissertation investigates the formation and operation of this market, and how it interacts with the legal system and eventually leads to legal reforms. Based on this case study Dr. Qiao argues that property norms can change more swiftly than property law and serve as imperfect institutional infrastructure for market transition. His dissertation also develops a model for the co-evolution of property law and norms with particular implications for developing countries. Click here for some of Dr Qiao's recent research outputs.