Turf Houses And Ownership

Life Inside Icelandic Turf Houses

Amelia Soth | JStor Daily | 15th July 2026

Iceland's turf houses, which the majority of the population lived in before 1910, "were an ingenious response to scarcity". Wood was rare and precious, used only for essential supporting beams. The rest of the structure was built from stone and covered with a living layer of insulating turf. It looked cosy, but according to contemporary visitors, inside it was unventilated, cramped and filthy (1,000 words)

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On The Ownership Of Assets

Chris Dillow | 3rd August 2026

Gianni Infantino’s failed attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup was a demonstration of a classic economics phenomenon: the hold-up problem. European nations "held up" corporate production by threatening to withdraw participation in the tournament. Contracts are one way to solve this problem, but ownership is often a better one. It's why Ikea owns vast swathes of forested land (2,800 words)