Access to land is vital for providing our basic needs. According to earlier research, private landtitles are a prerequisite for secure land rights and are vital for enabling sustainable economicgrowth and poverty reduction. In Malawi, where a majority of the land is customary, newlaws have been enacted, but not yet implemented. The new laws allow registration ofcustomary land into private land, i.e. land titling. This bachelor thesis investigates the possibleeconomic effects of land titling in Malawi based on earlier research and on the views ofMalawian stakeholders. It was found that the World Bank states that land titling will lead toincreased investments and improved productivity; increased credits access with lowerinterest rate; increased liquidity on transaction markets; increased access to rental market;increased mobility; increased gender equality and decentralization of power. Even though thecultural practices in Malawi partly collide with the privatization of customary land, thestakeholders generally agree with the effects described by the World Bank. It is difficult topredict the effects of the new laws as it depends on various factors. However, land titling willsurely lead to increased tenure security, which inherently is valuable for the landowners. / Tillgång till mark är nödvändigt för att kunna tillgodose våra grundläggande behov. Säkradäganderätt i form av ett landägarbevis är grundläggande för att möjliggöra ekonomisk tillväxtoch fattigdomsbekämpning. I Malawi är endast en minoritet av marken registrerad. Denstörsta andelen mark nyttjas gemensamt av bybor. På initiativ av Världsbanken har Malawiskamyndigheter tagit fram nya land lagar som ännu inte implementeras. De nya lagarnamöjliggör att genom registrering omvandla den mark som nyttjas till byborna till privategendom. Denna studie undersöker vilka ekonomiska effekter som härrör frånlandregistrering i Malawi baserat på tidigare forskning och lokala intressenters kunskap ocherfarenheter. Enligt Världsbanken leder landregistrering i utvecklingsländer till ökadeinvesteringar och ökad produktivitet, ökad kreditgivning med lägre ränta, ökad likviditet påtransaktionsmarknaden, växande hyresmarknad, ökad rörlighet, ökad jämställdhet ochdecentralisering av makt. Trots att de kulturella sedvanorna i Malawi till viss del motverkas avprivatisering av mark, stämmer intressenternas uppfattning överens med de effekter somVärldsbanken beskriver. Det går inte att med säkerhet avgöra vilka ekonomiska effekter somlandregistreringen kommer att resultera i, eftersom att de beror på flera okända faktorer.Landregisteringen kommer dock att säkra äganderätten, vilket i sig är värdefullt för de somnyttjar marken.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:13:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 72060100762.pdf: 4776560 bytes, checksum: eb2411154467964c4dff53cbafba4623 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-09T00:00:00Z / Secure property rights are considered a key determinant of economic development. However, the evaluation of the causal effects of land titling is a di¢ cult task. The Brazilian government through a program called ‘Papel Passado’ has issued titles, since 2004, to over 85,000 families and has the goal to reach 750,000. This thesis examines the direct impact of securing a property title on income, labor supply, happiness and child labor force participation. In order to isolate the causal role of ownership security, this study uses a comparison between two close and very similar communities in the City of Osasco (a town with 654,000 people in the S„o Paulo metropolitan area). The key point of this case is that some units get the program and others do not. One of them, Jardim Canaã was chosen to receive the titles in 2007, but the other, Jardim DR, given fiscal constraints, only will be part of the program schedule in 2012, and for that reason became the control group in this research. In terms of Public Policy response to economic growth, understand the effect on income is relevant to measure the ‘Papel Passado’ developmental impact. Furthermore, another topic in Public Policy, that is crucial for developing economies, is child labor force participation. Particularly, in Brazil, about 5.4 million children and teenagers between 5 and 17 years old are still working full time. Last, but not least, how could such subject be related with happiness? The economics of happiness has been applied to a range of issues. These include the relationship between income and happiness, inequality and poverty, the effects of macro-policies on individual welfare and the effect of institutional conditions such as democracy, federalism and security. An evaluation of happiness as a causal effect of land titling has never been applied and such thesis intends to provide an additional input regarding this topic. The estimates suggest, using basically the Difference-in-Difference (DD) econometric approach, that titling results in increase of income and decrease of child labor hours. Also, applying ordered probit model, the property rights have positive impact on happiness as well. Hence, the thesis has presented new evidence on the value of formal property rights in urban squatter community in a developing country.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The thesis examines the characteristics of land tenure among African families with freehold title who trace their relationship to the land to their forebears who first acquired title in the mid-nineteenth century. The evidence was drawn from two field sites in the Eastern Cape, Fingo Village, Grahamstown and Rabula in the Keiskammahoek district of the former Ciskei. The evidence, supported by evidence in other Anglophone countries, shows that African familial relationships reminiscent of ‘customary’ concepts of the family, were not, and are not extinguished when title is issued, though they are altered. Africans with title regard the land as family property held by unilineal descent groups, challenging the western notion of one-to-one proprietal relationships to the land and its devolution. By exploring the intersection between tenure, use and devolution of land, the main findings reveal that local conceptions of land and use diverge considerably from the formal, legal notion of title. Title holders conceive of their land as the property of all recognised members of a patrilineally defined descent group symbolised by the family name. Because freehold is so intimately linked with inheritance, the findings significantly illuminate the social field of gender and kinship. The implications of the findings are that differing concepts of the ‘family’ and ‘property’ are fundamental to the lack of ‘fit’ between the common-law concept of ownership and what I term in the thesis ‘African freehold’. The thesis dissects the implications of culturally constructed variability in familial identities for recognition and transmission of property. Title is legally regulated by Eurocentric notions of both family and property, which lead to significant divergence between western and African interpretations of ownership, transmission and spatial division of land. The deficiencies of the South African legal mindset with regard to property law are thus fundamentally affected by the deficiencies in recognising the broader field of gender and kinship relations. The findings fundamentally challenge the dualistic paradigm currently prevalent in much of South African legal thinking, since the factors that are found to affect land tenure relationships cannot be reduced to the binary distinctions that are conventionally drawn in law, such as ‘western’ vs. ‘customary’ or ‘individual’ vs. iii ‘communal’ tenure. Instead, the important sources of validation of social (importantly, familial) and property relationships are found to be common to all property relationships, but are arranged and calibrated according to different normative patterns of recognition. In the case of the subjects in the field sites, these do not fit into the main ‘categories’ of property defined in law. Neither of the main bodies of official law, the common law and customary law, adequately characterise the relationships among the African freehold title holders. The source of legitimation is, therefore, not the ‘law’ but locally understood norms and practices. The findings suggest that the practices of the freeholders, derived from constructed ideas of kinship and descent, have relevance for a wide range of diverse African land tenure arrangements and categories, and not only ‘African freehold’. The findings therefore have significant implications for law reform more broadly. The thesis suggests that law reform should move away from models that do not match reality, and in particular should heed the warnings that titling policies as presently designed are particularly poorly aligned with the realities presented in the thesis.

Esta tese discute a questão fundiária nos Parques e Estações Ecológicas do Estado de São Paulo, demonstrando que a indisciplina da documentação e do registro da propriedade imobiliária constitui o principal limite à implantação dessas unidades de conservação (UCs). Inicia-se com a apresentação dos resultados obtidos pelo governo na regularização fundiária dessas unidades durante o século XX. Na seqüência, é feita uma pesquisa sobre as origens da indisciplina existente na documentação e no registro da propriedade imobiliária no Brasil, considerando três períodos: o de concessão de sesmarias até 1822; o de formulação e implementação da Lei de Terras de 1850; e o republicano. A pesquisa identificou cadeias paralelas do registro da propriedade imobiliária e momentos da ocupação do território em que essa indisciplina representou limites às políticas sociais e ambientais, evidenciando o fato de que a mesma é funcional, há séculos, para a permanência da relação desequilibrada entre o desenvolvimento econômico, social e ambiental. Os estudos de casos apresentam os conflitos fundiários que provocaram a devastação das Reservas Florestais do Pontal do Paranapanema e, nas unidades da Serra do Mar e litoral paulista, o uso de documentos irregulares para realização de ações ilegais e reivindicação de indenizações milionárias do poder público. A análise dos resultados alcançados no Estado demonstrou que, quando os governos iniciaram a regularização das UCs, obtiveram avanços, de difícil consolidação devido à interrupção dos trabalhos por longos períodos, com a desarticulação e desestruturação dos órgãos envolvidos. O trabalho apresenta recomendações para uma política de regularização fundiária, visando à consolidação de uma rede de unidades de conservação públicas. / This thesis discusses the land titling issue regarding Sao Paulo State parks and ecological stations to show that lack of discipline in land documentation and registry is the main restriction to the establishment of these protected areas (PAs). The starting point is an outline of results obtained by the government in its efforts to regularize titling of these areas in the 20th century. Next, this paper shows the findings of research conducted on the origins of indiscipline in land documentation and registration in Brazil considering three periods: from the granting of land (sesmarias) until 1822; the period of formulation and implementation of the Land Law of 1850; and the Republican period. The research identified parallel land registration chains, and moments in the occupation of territory in which such indiscipline posed limits to social and environmental policies, showing that for centuries it has been functional for the permanence of unbalances in the economic, social and environmental development. Case studies show land conflicts that resulted in the devastation of forest reserves at Pontal do Paranapanema, and the use of irregular documents in areas on Serra do Mar and on the coast to file illegal suits and claim millionaire compensations from the government. The study of outcomes obtained in the State of Sao Paulo shows that when governments started a process of protected areas regularization, progress was very slow due to interruptions for long periods as a result of discontinuities in the agencies involved. The paper also presents recommendations for land titling policy aiming consolidation of a system of public protected areas.

Esta tese discute a questão fundiária nos Parques e Estações Ecológicas do Estado de São Paulo, demonstrando que a indisciplina da documentação e do registro da propriedade imobiliária constitui o principal limite à implantação dessas unidades de conservação (UCs). Inicia-se com a apresentação dos resultados obtidos pelo governo na regularização fundiária dessas unidades durante o século XX. Na seqüência, é feita uma pesquisa sobre as origens da indisciplina existente na documentação e no registro da propriedade imobiliária no Brasil, considerando três períodos: o de concessão de sesmarias até 1822; o de formulação e implementação da Lei de Terras de 1850; e o republicano. A pesquisa identificou cadeias paralelas do registro da propriedade imobiliária e momentos da ocupação do território em que essa indisciplina representou limites às políticas sociais e ambientais, evidenciando o fato de que a mesma é funcional, há séculos, para a permanência da relação desequilibrada entre o desenvolvimento econômico, social e ambiental. Os estudos de casos apresentam os conflitos fundiários que provocaram a devastação das Reservas Florestais do Pontal do Paranapanema e, nas unidades da Serra do Mar e litoral paulista, o uso de documentos irregulares para realização de ações ilegais e reivindicação de indenizações milionárias do poder público. A análise dos resultados alcançados no Estado demonstrou que, quando os governos iniciaram a regularização das UCs, obtiveram avanços, de difícil consolidação devido à interrupção dos trabalhos por longos períodos, com a desarticulação e desestruturação dos órgãos envolvidos. O trabalho apresenta recomendações para uma política de regularização fundiária, visando à consolidação de uma rede de unidades de conservação públicas. / This thesis discusses the land titling issue regarding Sao Paulo State parks and ecological stations to show that lack of discipline in land documentation and registry is the main restriction to the establishment of these protected areas (PAs). The starting point is an outline of results obtained by the government in its efforts to regularize titling of these areas in the 20th century. Next, this paper shows the findings of research conducted on the origins of indiscipline in land documentation and registration in Brazil considering three periods: from the granting of land (sesmarias) until 1822; the period of formulation and implementation of the Land Law of 1850; and the Republican period. The research identified parallel land registration chains, and moments in the occupation of territory in which such indiscipline posed limits to social and environmental policies, showing that for centuries it has been functional for the permanence of unbalances in the economic, social and environmental development. Case studies show land conflicts that resulted in the devastation of forest reserves at Pontal do Paranapanema, and the use of irregular documents in areas on Serra do Mar and on the coast to file illegal suits and claim millionaire compensations from the government. The study of outcomes obtained in the State of Sao Paulo shows that when governments started a process of protected areas regularization, progress was very slow due to interruptions for long periods as a result of discontinuities in the agencies involved. The paper also presents recommendations for land titling policy aiming consolidation of a system of public protected areas.

Die Studie erforscht institutionalle Arrangements, die auf eine Privatisierung des Agrarlands in der Republik Georgien abzielen, deren Formalisierung der Eigentumsrechte den letzten Schritt der Agrarreformen darstellen, und speziell, wie sich die Durchsetzung des Rechts auf Privateigentum entwickelt hat. Laut Schätzungen ist bisher nur ca. ein Drittel des Landes registriert. Das Ziel der Analyse dient dem Verständnis, wie sich politische Reformen, die eine Privatisierung des Agrarlands beabsichtigen, auf den Landbesitz allgemein und die Agrarproduktion im Besonderen auswirken. Anhand von zwei der führenden landwirtschaftlichen Exportprodukte – Haselnuss und Wein –, verfolgt die Studie methodologisch einen abduktiven Forschungsansatz, der von Triangulation geleitet ist. Die Ergebnisse basieren auf einer Umfrage, Fokusgruppen-Interviews mit Agrarproduzenten sowie Interviews mit Leitern verarbeitender Betriebe, Repräsentanten der Regierung sowie Experten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einerseits, dass Nutzungs- und später Eigentumsrechte konstant kraft einer ‚property rule’ durchgesetzt wurden, und somit einen Status quo gesichert haben, der besonders die Mitglieder ehemaliger einflussreicher (lokaler) Regierungskreise begünstigt hat; demgegenüber haben die Reformen kontinuierlich Unsicherheit unter der Landbevölkerung erzeugt – indem die Durchsetzung privater Eigentumsrechte von einer ‚property rule’ hin zu einer ‚liability rule’ verändert worden ist –, während die erforderlichen Kosten zur (Wieder-)Erlangung der Besitzansprüche zunehmend den ehemaligen Rechtsinhabern aufgebürdet worden ist. Die Ergebnisse lassen eine potentielle Umverteilung in Form konzentrierten Landbesitzes vermuten, während die Mehrheit der Betriebe künftig auf die Durchsetzung von Landnutzungsrechten vertrauen darf, um ihre Subsistenzwirtschaft fortzuführen. / This study focuses on the institutional change of agricultural land privatization in the Republic of Georgia, where the formalization of private property rights forms the last step of the agrarian land reforms, and specifically how people’s entitle-ment to land has been protected over time. It is estimated that so far only about a third of the land has been registered. The aim of the analysis is to understand how political reforms targeting land privatization have affected land ownership, and to show the effects on agricultural production. By focussing on two leading export products of Georgian agriculture – hazelnut and wine – the study methodologi-cally follows an abductive research strategy led by the principles of triangulation. It is based on survey data, focus groups interviews with agrarian producers as well as interviews with processors, government representatives and experts. The results reveal, on the one hand, that by constantly enforcing use and then owner-ship rights according to a property rule maintained a status-quo which has mainly favored former influential (local) government circles; in contrast, the reforms have persistently generated insecurity to rural neighborhoods – by changing the enforcement of people’s private ownership rights from a property rule to a liabil-ity rule –, while the emerging costs to (re-)claim ownership were increasingly shifted to the former right holders who can hardly raise the required financial means. The results suggest a re-distribution of land in the form of a rising concen-tration of land ownership, while the majority of agricultural producers may rely on the granting of use-rights to proceed with their subsistence farming in the fu-ture.

Die Studie erforscht institutionalle Arrangements, die auf eine Privatisierung des Agrarlands in der Republik Georgien abzielen, deren Formalisierung der Eigentumsrechte den letzten Schritt der Agrarreformen darstellen, und speziell, wie sich die Durchsetzung des Rechts auf Privateigentum entwickelt hat. Laut Schätzungen ist bisher nur ca. ein Drittel des Landes registriert. Das Ziel der Analyse dient dem Verständnis, wie sich politische Reformen, die eine Privatisierung des Agrarlands beabsichtigen, auf den Landbesitz allgemein und die Agrarproduktion im Besonderen auswirken. Anhand von zwei der führenden landwirtschaftlichen Exportprodukte – Haselnuss und Wein –, verfolgt die Studie methodologisch einen abduktiven Forschungsansatz, der von Triangulation geleitet ist. Die Ergebnisse basieren auf einer Umfrage, Fokusgruppen-Interviews mit Agrarproduzenten sowie Interviews mit Leitern verarbeitender Betriebe, Repräsentanten der Regierung sowie Experten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einerseits, dass Nutzungs- und später Eigentumsrechte konstant kraft einer ‚property rule’ durchgesetzt wurden, und somit einen Status quo gesichert haben, der besonders die Mitglieder ehemaliger einflussreicher (lokaler) Regierungskreise begünstigt hat; demgegenüber haben die Reformen kontinuierlich Unsicherheit unter der Landbevölkerung erzeugt – indem die Durchsetzung privater Eigentumsrechte von einer ‚property rule’ hin zu einer ‚liability rule’ verändert worden ist –, während die erforderlichen Kosten zur (Wieder-)Erlangung der Besitzansprüche zunehmend den ehemaligen Rechtsinhabern aufgebürdet worden ist. Die Ergebnisse lassen eine potentielle Umverteilung in Form konzentrierten Landbesitzes vermuten, während die Mehrheit der Betriebe künftig auf die Durchsetzung von Landnutzungsrechten vertrauen darf, um ihre Subsistenzwirtschaft fortzuführen. / This study focuses on the institutional change of agricultural land privatization in the Republic of Georgia, where the formalization of private property rights forms the last step of the agrarian land reforms, and specifically how people’s entitle-ment to land has been protected over time. It is estimated that so far only about a third of the land has been registered. The aim of the analysis is to understand how political reforms targeting land privatization have affected land ownership, and to show the effects on agricultural production. By focussing on two leading export products of Georgian agriculture – hazelnut and wine – the study methodologi-cally follows an abductive research strategy led by the principles of triangulation. It is based on survey data, focus groups interviews with agrarian producers as well as interviews with processors, government representatives and experts. The results reveal, on the one hand, that by constantly enforcing use and then owner-ship rights according to a property rule maintained a status-quo which has mainly favored former influential (local) government circles; in contrast, the reforms have persistently generated insecurity to rural neighborhoods – by changing the enforcement of people’s private ownership rights from a property rule to a liabil-ity rule –, while the emerging costs to (re-)claim ownership were increasingly shifted to the former right holders who can hardly raise the required financial means. The results suggest a re-distribution of land in the form of a rising concen-tration of land ownership, while the majority of agricultural producers may rely on the granting of use-rights to proceed with their subsistence farming in the fu-ture.

This study analyses the impact of land registration and certification scheme on sustainable use of farmlands in Debre Mawi and Densa Bahta rural kebeles of Amhara region in northwestern Ethiopia, with a view to contributing to the theoretical debate on tenure security and more realistic policy advocacy on the sustainable use of farmlands. Within the framework of qualitative research methodology, the case study approach helps to observe and understand the relationship between land titling and sustainable use of farmlands in Densa Bahta and Debre Mawi kebeles of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. Specific methods employed were focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and observation, complemented by context analyses of relevant documents. It was found that land titling has contributed to a high perception of security of land tenure among study respondents. However, results show that land titling has both positive and negative impacts on sustainable use of farmlands. The positive impact of land titling is ascribed to its assurance effect and legal obligation imposed on farmers to adopt proper land management practices. The negative impact of land titling arises from its failure to address the existing inequality in possession of farmlands among the village communities. Failure of farmers’ high perceptions of their security of land tenure to translate into sustainable land use practices has implications for the relative importance of productive asset endowments, self-efficacy and risk perception on the sustainable use of farmlands in the Amhara region. Interviewees that follow unsustainable farming practices were endowed with relatively lower pieces of farmland and disadvantaged in possession of other productive assets. They also demonstrated a low level of self-efficacy and a risk-averse attitude to adopting conservation technologies, as they possessed smaller sizes of farmland compared with the village and regional average. The study urges a holistic approach and comprehensive analytical framework to understand the synergy of several factors that affect the sustainable use of farmlands. / Environmental Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

This study analyses the impact of land registration and certification scheme on sustainable use of farmlands in Debre Mawi and Densa Bahta rural kebeles of Amhara region in northwestern Ethiopia, with a view to contributing to the theoretical debate on tenure security and more realistic policy advocacy on the sustainable use of farmlands. Within the framework of qualitative research methodology, the case study approach helps to observe and understand the relationship between land titling and sustainable use of farmlands in Densa Bahta and Debre Mawi kebeles of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. Specific methods employed were focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and observation, complemented by context analyses of relevant documents. It was found that land titling has contributed to a high perception of security of land tenure among study respondents. However, results show that land titling has both positive and negative impacts on sustainable use of farmlands. The positive impact of land titling is ascribed to its assurance effect and legal obligation imposed on farmers to adopt proper land management practices. The negative impact of land titling arises from its failure to address the existing inequality in possession of farmlands among the village communities. Failure of farmers’ high perceptions of their security of land tenure to translate into sustainable land use practices has implications for the relative importance of productive asset endowments, self-efficacy and risk perception on the sustainable use of farmlands in the Amhara region. Interviewees that follow unsustainable farming practices were endowed with relatively lower pieces of farmland and disadvantaged in possession of other productive assets. They also demonstrated a low level of self-efficacy and a risk-averse attitude to adopting conservation technologies, as they possessed smaller sizes of farmland compared with the village and regional average. The study urges a holistic approach and comprehensive analytical framework to understand the synergy of several factors that affect the sustainable use of farmlands. / Environmental Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)