["American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Volume 80, Issue 2, Page 325-351, March 2021. ", "\nAbstract\nAnne Haila is credited as one of the pioneers in developing a new theory of urban rent, distinct from neo‐Marxist treatments of rent in the 1970s. In this reformulation, she looks into the agents and institutions of land, with land as a financial asset, where its management and use become pivotal to our understanding of the contemporary city. One of the central elements in this reformulation is the attention paid to the state and its management of land. The three conversations developed in this essay elaborate on Haila’s focus on the state and its land policies. By focusing on the events that propel the state to act in housing provision, to intensify its management of land for housing and economic development, and to evade the provision of housing for some groups in society, I show how state interests with regard to land and housing are conditioned and evolve over time.\n"]