Can a Market-Assisted Land Redistribution Program Improve the Lives of the Poor? Evidence from Malawi

This paper uses a rural household survey dataset collected in 2006 and 2008 to investigate the impact of a market-based land resettlement project in southern Malawi. The program provided a conditional cash and land transfer to poor families to rel...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Datar, Gayatri, Del Carpio, Ximena, Hoffman, Vivian
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ACCOUNTING ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AGRARIAN STRUCTURE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES AGRICULTURAL LAND AGRICULTURAL POLICY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AGRICULTURE ARABLE LAND ASSET HOLDING ASSET HOLDINGS ASSET VALUE ASSETS BANK ACCOUNT BANK POLICY BENEFICIARIES BENEFICIARY BUDGETING CAPITAL FORMATION CASH TRANSFER COLLECTIVE ACTION COLLECTIVE ACTION PROBLEMS COLONIAL LAND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS CONFLICT CONSUMER DURABLES CONSUMER GOODS COUNTERFACTUAL CREDIT INSTITUTIONS CRITICAL APPRAISAL CROP VALUE CROPS CULTIVABLE LAND DEED DEEDS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DROUGHT DUMMY VARIABLE DURABLE DURABLE ASSET ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMIC WELFARE ECONOMICS ECONOMICS RESEARCH EFFECTIVE USE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTS EXPENDITURE EXPENDITURES EXPROPRIATION EXTENDED FAMILIES EXTENSION EXTENSION SERVICES FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS FARM EMPLOYMENT FARM SIZE FARMERS FARMING HOUSEHOLDS FARMLAND FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS FERTILIZERS FINANCES FINANCIAL RESOURCES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY FOOD SUPPLY GENDER HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLD HEAD HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HOUSING HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN RESOURCES INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTION INCOME DYNAMICS INCOME REDISTRIBUTION INCOMES INDIGENOUS LAND TENURE SYSTEMS INEQUALITY INTERNATIONAL BANK INVESTING LABOR INPUTS LAND DEVELOPMENT LAND DISTRIBUTION LAND HOLDING LAND HOLDINGS LAND INEQUALITY LAND OWNERSHIP LAND POLICIES LAND PRICES LAND PRODUCTIVITY LAND QUALITY LAND REDISTRIBUTION LAND REFORM LAND REFORMS LAND RESETTLEMENT LAND SIZE LAND TITLE LAND TITLES LAND TITLING LAND VALUE LAND-POOR HOUSEHOLDS LANDHOLDINGS LANDOWNERS LEGAL OWNERSHIP LIVESTOCK MARKET ENVIRONMENTS MARKET PRICES MARKET VALUE MARKETING NATIONAL POVERTY NGOS POLICY MAKERS POLITICAL ECONOMY POOR POOR FAMILIES POSITIVE EFFECTS POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY ALLEVIATION EFFORTS POVERTY ESTIMATES POVERTY LEVELS POVERTY LINE POVERTY REDUCTION POVERTY STATUS PRICE INCREASES PRODUCTIVE ASSETS PROPERTY RIGHTS REDISTRIBUTIVE REFORM REMOTE AREAS RESERVE RESERVES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT REVOLVING FUND RURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT RURAL HOUSEHOLD RURAL POOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS SOCIAL IMPACTS SOCIAL NETWORKS SUBSISTENCE FARMERS SUBSTITUTION EFFECT TARGETING TRANCHE TRANCHES VILLAGE LEADERS WEALTH WEATHER PATTERNS WELFARE EFFECTS WELFARE INDICATORS
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091026085932 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4285

Description
Summary:	This paper uses a rural household survey dataset collected in 2006 and 2008 to investigate the impact of a market-based land resettlement project in southern Malawi. The program provided a conditional cash and land transfer to poor families to relocate to larger plots of farm land. The average treatment effect of the program is estimated using a difference-in-difference matching technique based on propensity score matching; qualitative information complement the analysis to ensure unobservable characteristics do not bias the findings. As expected, the results show a significant effect on landholdings and agricultural production, with land size increasing and maize production increasing by more than 100 kilograms relative to the control. However, the impacts on food security and asset holdings were mixed. Households that relocated great distances had systematically lower impacts than those households that stayed within their district of origin because they had to adapt to unfamiliar agro-ecological, cultural, and market environments. Impacts also varied across gender of the household head; female-headed beneficiary households increased their productive and consumption assets significantly, while male-headed households increased their asset holdings less so.

Can a Market-Assisted Land Redistribution Program Improve the Lives of the Poor? Evidence from Malawi

Similar Items