Widows' land rights and agricultural investment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dillon, Brian; Voena, Alessandra
• 署名单位: Cornell University; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research; University of Chicago
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.08.006
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 449-460
• 关键词: Land tenure security; widowhood; Land investment; Gender discrimination; African development; Farm productivity

摘要

This paper examines the connection between widows' land inheritance rights and land investments in Zambia. We study whether the threat of land expropriation upon widowhood deters households from fallowing, applying fertilizer, and employing labor-intensive tillage techniques. Variation in inheritance by widows is based on customary village practices, which we observe in surveys of village leaders. Controlling for possible confounding factors, both OLS and IV estimates show lower levels of land investment by married couples in villages where widows do not inherit. Concern over prospective loss of land by the wives reduces investment in land quality even while the husband is alive.