Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin

This paper presents early evidence from the first large-scale randomized-controlled trial of a land formalization program. The study examines the links between land demarcation and investment in rural Benin in light of a model of agricultural produ...

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Main Authors:	Goldstein, Markus, Houngbedji, Kenneth, Kondylis, Florence, O'Sullivan, Michael, Selod, Harris
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2015
Subjects:	COMMUNITIES VILLAGES CORPORATION PRODUCTION LAND RIGHT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SOIL CONSERVATION PRIVATIZATION POINTS ACCESS TO LAND COMMUNES PROPERTY RIGHTS AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DISCOUNT RATE INFORMATION POLITICAL ECONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS URBAN LAND OWNERSHIP PRIVATE PROPERTY LAND TENURE LANDS OPEN ACCESS KNOWLEDGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COMMON LAND TITLING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS DWELLING RENT HETEROGENEITY CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY WATER TRANSFERS URBAN LAND TENURE LAND ADMINISTRATIONS LAND RIGHTS LAND OWNERSHIP RESEARCH LIVESTOCK LABOR FARMERS NATURAL RESOURCES URBAN LAND MARKETS CROPS FOOD PRODUCTION LAND USE RESOURCES CONSUMPTION LAND TRANSACTIONS LAND MARKET OPPORTUNITY COST PROPERTY RIGHT FAMILY GENDER LAND TENURE RIGHTS DEMAND PARTNERSHIP FORESTS HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE LAND PROPERTY AGRICULTURAL LAND PROPERTY COST HABITAT MARKET LAND ACQUISITION ECONOMICS PROPERTY VALUE MANAGEMENT SOIL ENFORCEMENT FISHERIES LAND LANDOWNERS EDUCATION INVESTMENT HOUSEHOLDS RURAL AREAS INTEGRATION ALLOCATION SUPPLY PASTORALISTS LAND TRANSFER INVESTMENTS BUILDING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY FUNDING SOIL FERTILITY WOMEN AGRICULTURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT LANDLORDS LAND MANAGEMENT LAND OWNER TENURE LAND ECONOMICS LAND ADMINISTRATION AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/10/25132197/formalizing-rural-land-rights-west-africa-early-evidence-randomized-impact-evaluation-benin http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22857

id	okr-10986-22857
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-228572021-04-23T14:04:11Z Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin Goldstein, Markus Houngbedji, Kenneth Kondylis, Florence O'Sullivan, Michael Selod, Harris COMMUNITIES VILLAGES CORPORATION PRODUCTION LAND RIGHT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SOIL CONSERVATION PRIVATIZATION POINTS ACCESS TO LAND COMMUNES PROPERTY RIGHTS AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DISCOUNT RATE INFORMATION POLITICAL ECONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS URBAN LAND OWNERSHIP PRIVATE PROPERTY LAND TENURE LANDS OPEN ACCESS KNOWLEDGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COMMON LAND TITLING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS DWELLING RENT HETEROGENEITY CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY WATER TRANSFERS URBAN LAND TENURE LAND ADMINISTRATIONS LAND RIGHTS LAND OWNERSHIP RESEARCH LIVESTOCK LABOR FARMERS NATURAL RESOURCES URBAN LAND MARKETS CROPS FOOD PRODUCTION LAND USE RESOURCES CONSUMPTION LAND TRANSACTIONS LAND MARKET OPPORTUNITY COST PROPERTY RIGHT FAMILY GENDER LAND TENURE RIGHTS DEMAND PARTNERSHIP FORESTS HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE LAND PROPERTY AGRICULTURAL LAND PROPERTY COST HABITAT MARKET LAND ACQUISITION ECONOMICS PROPERTY VALUE MANAGEMENT SOIL ENFORCEMENT FISHERIES LAND LANDOWNERS EDUCATION INVESTMENT HOUSEHOLDS RURAL AREAS INTEGRATION ALLOCATION SUPPLY PASTORALISTS LAND TRANSFER INVESTMENTS BUILDING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY FUNDING SOIL FERTILITY WOMEN AGRICULTURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT LANDLORDS LAND MANAGEMENT LAND OWNER TENURE LAND ECONOMICS LAND ADMINISTRATION AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PROPERTY RIGHTS This paper presents early evidence from the first large-scale randomized-controlled trial of a land formalization program. The study examines the links between land demarcation and investment in rural Benin in light of a model of agricultural production under insecure tenure. The demarcation process involved communities in the mapping and attribution of land rights; cornerstones marked parcel boundaries and offered lasting landmarks. Consistent with the model, improved tenure security under demarcation induces a shift toward long-term investment on treated parcels. This investment does not yet coincide with gains in agricultural productivity. The analysis also identifies significant gender-specific effects. Female-managed landholdings in treated villages are more likely to be left fallow—an important soil fertility investment. Women further respond to an exogenous tenure security change by moving production away from relatively secure, demarcated land and toward less secure land outside the village to guard those parcels. 2015-11-05T14:44:49Z 2015-11-05T14:44:49Z 2015-10 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/10/25132197/formalizing-rural-land-rights-west-africa-early-evidence-randomized-impact-evaluation-benin http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22857 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7435 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa West Africa Benin
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
language	English en_US
topic	COMMUNITIES VILLAGES CORPORATION PRODUCTION LAND RIGHT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SOIL CONSERVATION PRIVATIZATION POINTS ACCESS TO LAND COMMUNES PROPERTY RIGHTS AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DISCOUNT RATE INFORMATION POLITICAL ECONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS URBAN LAND OWNERSHIP PRIVATE PROPERTY LAND TENURE LANDS OPEN ACCESS KNOWLEDGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COMMON LAND TITLING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS DWELLING RENT HETEROGENEITY CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY WATER TRANSFERS URBAN LAND TENURE LAND ADMINISTRATIONS LAND RIGHTS LAND OWNERSHIP RESEARCH LIVESTOCK LABOR FARMERS NATURAL RESOURCES URBAN LAND MARKETS CROPS FOOD PRODUCTION LAND USE RESOURCES CONSUMPTION LAND TRANSACTIONS LAND MARKET OPPORTUNITY COST PROPERTY RIGHT FAMILY GENDER LAND TENURE RIGHTS DEMAND PARTNERSHIP FORESTS HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE LAND PROPERTY AGRICULTURAL LAND PROPERTY COST HABITAT MARKET LAND ACQUISITION ECONOMICS PROPERTY VALUE MANAGEMENT SOIL ENFORCEMENT FISHERIES LAND LANDOWNERS EDUCATION INVESTMENT HOUSEHOLDS RURAL AREAS INTEGRATION ALLOCATION SUPPLY PASTORALISTS LAND TRANSFER INVESTMENTS BUILDING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY FUNDING SOIL FERTILITY WOMEN AGRICULTURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT LANDLORDS LAND MANAGEMENT LAND OWNER TENURE LAND ECONOMICS LAND ADMINISTRATION AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
spellingShingle	COMMUNITIES VILLAGES CORPORATION PRODUCTION LAND RIGHT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SOIL CONSERVATION PRIVATIZATION POINTS ACCESS TO LAND COMMUNES PROPERTY RIGHTS AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DISCOUNT RATE INFORMATION POLITICAL ECONOMY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS URBAN LAND OWNERSHIP PRIVATE PROPERTY LAND TENURE LANDS OPEN ACCESS KNOWLEDGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COMMON LAND TITLING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS DWELLING RENT HETEROGENEITY CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY WATER TRANSFERS URBAN LAND TENURE LAND ADMINISTRATIONS LAND RIGHTS LAND OWNERSHIP RESEARCH LIVESTOCK LABOR FARMERS NATURAL RESOURCES URBAN LAND MARKETS CROPS FOOD PRODUCTION LAND USE RESOURCES CONSUMPTION LAND TRANSACTIONS LAND MARKET OPPORTUNITY COST PROPERTY RIGHT FAMILY GENDER LAND TENURE RIGHTS DEMAND PARTNERSHIP FORESTS HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE LAND PROPERTY AGRICULTURAL LAND PROPERTY COST HABITAT MARKET LAND ACQUISITION ECONOMICS PROPERTY VALUE MANAGEMENT SOIL ENFORCEMENT FISHERIES LAND LANDOWNERS EDUCATION INVESTMENT HOUSEHOLDS RURAL AREAS INTEGRATION ALLOCATION SUPPLY PASTORALISTS LAND TRANSFER INVESTMENTS BUILDING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY FUNDING SOIL FERTILITY WOMEN AGRICULTURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT LANDLORDS LAND MANAGEMENT LAND OWNER TENURE LAND ECONOMICS LAND ADMINISTRATION AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PROPERTY RIGHTS Goldstein, Markus Houngbedji, Kenneth Kondylis, Florence O'Sullivan, Michael Selod, Harris Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
geographic_facet	Africa West Africa Benin
relation	Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7435
description	This paper presents early evidence from the first large-scale randomized-controlled trial of a land formalization program. The study examines the links between land demarcation and investment in rural Benin in light of a model of agricultural production under insecure tenure. The demarcation process involved communities in the mapping and attribution of land rights; cornerstones marked parcel boundaries and offered lasting landmarks. Consistent with the model, improved tenure security under demarcation induces a shift toward long-term investment on treated parcels. This investment does not yet coincide with gains in agricultural productivity. The analysis also identifies significant gender-specific effects. Female-managed landholdings in treated villages are more likely to be left fallow—an important soil fertility investment. Women further respond to an exogenous tenure security change by moving production away from relatively secure, demarcated land and toward less secure land outside the village to guard those parcels.
format	Working Paper
author	Goldstein, Markus Houngbedji, Kenneth Kondylis, Florence O'Sullivan, Michael Selod, Harris
author_facet	Goldstein, Markus Houngbedji, Kenneth Kondylis, Florence O'Sullivan, Michael Selod, Harris
author_sort	Goldstein, Markus
title	Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
title_short	Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
title_full	Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
title_fullStr	Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
title_full_unstemmed	Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin
title_sort	formalizing rural land rights in west africa : early evidence from a randomized impact evaluation in benin
publisher	World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate	2015
url	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/10/25132197/formalizing-rural-land-rights-west-africa-early-evidence-randomized-impact-evaluation-benin http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22857
_version_	1764452246946316288

Formalizing Rural Land Rights in West Africa : Early Evidence from a Randomized Impact Evaluation in Benin

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