This special issue examines the question why some property rights succeed and others fail. The articles validate the axiom that Form follows from Function aka Credibility Thesis, and study this in a wide range of areas such as informal tenure, land value capture, rural conflicts and nature management. The methods used include the Conflict Analysis Model, FAT Framework and the CSI Checklist. The collection is preceded by a substantial review of the research on the Credibility Thesis over the past decade. More info.