04/11/2025

SERA49 members reported numerous publications during the reporting period. These included edited and peer-reviewed chapters, journal articles, and Extension publications.

Chapters and Articles

Johnson Gaither, C. 2024. "Heirs’ Property and Its Ramifications." In: Elgar Encyclopedia of Sociology, pp.354-358. (ed): Overdevest, C. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803921044.ch63 

Throne, R. 2024. "A Critical Data Ethics Analysis of Algorithmic Bias and the Mining/Scraping of Heirs' Property Records." In B. Verma, B. Singla, & A. Mittal (Eds.), Digital Technologies, Ethics, and Decentralization in the Digital Era. Premier Reference Source. IGI Global.

Bailey, Conner, G. Rebecca Dobbs, Cassandra Johnson Gaither, and Ryan Thomson.  2023.  "Heirs’ Property: Where, How Much, and Why Does it Matter?"  Heirs’ Property Issue Brief 23-1.  Starkville, MS:  Southern Rural Development Center.  https://srdc.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/2023-06/HP-brief-Bailey-Dobbs-Gaither-Thomson-6.2023-final.pdf

Smith, Kurt W. 2024. “The Necessary Role of Extension in Preventing Land Loss through Heirs Property Ownership.” Journal of Extension https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol62/iss2/6/

Smith, Kurt W., Fred Land Cubbage. 2024. "Land Fragmentation and Heirs' Property." Current Issues and Policy Responses https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040459

Thomson, Ryan, and Conner Bailey. 2023. "Identifying Heirs’ Property: Extent and Value Across the South and Appalachia." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 38(2): Article 2. Available at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/jrss/vol38/iss2/2

Zabawa, Robert, John Green, and Elizabeth Sweeney, editors. 2023. "Special Issue on Heirs’ Property." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 38(1): Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/jrss/vol38/ 

Zabawa, Robert, John Green, and Elizabeth Sweeney. 2023. "Introduction to the Special Issue on Heirs’ Property." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 38(1): Article 3. Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/jrss/vol38/iss1/3

Extension Publications

Johnson, Portia, Ryan Thomson, Adam Rabinowitz, and Katie Keown. 2024. Heirs Property in Alabama. ACES Extension Publication HE-0852. https://www.aces.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/HE-0852-Heirs-Property__COMPRESSED_091624L-G.pdf 

Mardis, Jamie, Adam Rabinowitz, Ryan Thomson, and Portia Johnson. 2024. Preparing Family Landowners in Alabama for Hurricanes. https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farm-management/preparing-family-landowners-in-alabama-for-hurricanes/ 

Smith, Kurt W. 2023. Heirs’ Property. Ag-946 https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/heirs-property-ownership

Smith, Kurt W. 2023. Keeping the Land: Succession Planning for Landowners. Ag-952 https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/keeping-the-land

 

04/09/2026

Publications

Journal Articles

Kim, A., Green, J., Johnson Gaither, C., Dobbs, G. R. 2026. Analyzing Heirs’ Property Prevalence and Spillover Effects in the U.S. Using Spatial Econometric Analysis. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. Published online 2026:1-21. https://doi.org/10.1017/age.2025.10016 

Mitchell, T. W. 2026. The Heirs’ Property Field: Moving From the Shadows to the Light to Enlightened, Evidence-based Solutions. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1017/age.2025.10021

Extension Publications

Green, J. J., Johnsen, G., Johnson, P., Neal, K., Stein, S., Thomson, R., & Woods, K. 2026. Ethical Engagement in Heirs’ Property Work: A Guide to Inform Dialogue and Practice. Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University & National Policy Research Center at Alcorn State University. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdctopics-heirsproperty/6/ 

Johnson, P., Thomson, R., Rabinowitz, A., & Keown, K. 2024. Heirs Property in Alabama.  Alabama Heirs’ Property Alliance. https://www.aces.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/HE-0852-Heirs-Property__COMPRESSED_091624L-G.pdf 

Additional Publications

Diaz, J. 2025. Heirs’ Property: Investing to Preserve Wealth. Asset Funders Network. https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN_Investing_Heirs_Property_Report.pdf 

Diaz, J. 2026. Heirs’ Property: Investing to Preserve Wealth in Philadelphia. Asset Funders Network. https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN_HeirsProperty_Philadelphia_SROI_.pdf 

Diaz, J. 2026. Heirs’ Property: Investing to Preserve Wealth in New Jersey. Asset Funders Network. https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN_NJ-Heirs-Property-SROI.pdf

Flanigan Sutherland, M., Mancini, S. B., & Stark, A. B. 2026. New Jersey: State-Level Policy Scan of Laws Impacting Heirs’ Property. Asset Funders Network. https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN_NJ_Heirs-Property-Checklist.pdf  

Moodie, N., Mitchell, M., Sackey, J., George, L. 2026. Understanding Ownership, Unlocking Investment: Clarifying the Legal Process for Title Resolution and Opportunities for Financial Funding for Heirs’ Property. Housing Assistance Council. https://heirscentral.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/EXECUTIVE-SUMMARY-Clarifying-the-Legal-Process-for-Title-Resolution.pdf