Formalization without certification? Experimental evidence on property rights and investment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Goldstein, Markus; Houngbedji, Kenneth; Kondylis, Florence; O'Sullivan, Michael; Selod, Harris
• 署名单位: The World Bank; The World Bank; The World Bank
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2017.12.008
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 57-74
• 关键词: Property rights; Agricultural investment; Land administration; GENDER; natural resources

摘要

We present evidence from the first large-scale randomized-controlled trial of a land formalization program. We examine the link 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. The tenure security improvement through demarcation induces a 23 to 43 percent shift toward long-term investment on treated parcels. We explore gender and parcel location as relevant dimensions of heterogeneity. We find that female-managed landholdings in treated villages are more likely to be left fallow an important soil fertility investment. Women respond to an exogenous tenure security change by shifting investment away from relatively secure, demarcated land and toward less secure land outside the village to guard those parcels.