Land Sector Reforms in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam: A Comparative Analysis of Their Effectiveness

Peter Narh, Cosmas Kombat Lambini, Matthew Sabbi, Pham Van Dien and Trung Thanh Nguyen
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Peter Narh: Farafina Institute, Kanzleistraße 14, 95511 Mistelbach, Germany
Cosmas Kombat Lambini: Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitaetstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
Matthew Sabbi: Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), University of Bayreuth, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 3, 95445 Bayreuth, Germany
Pham Van Dien: Department of Silviculture, Forestry University, Hanoi, Vietnam

Land, 2016, vol. 5, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: The notion that the formal titling and individualization of land rights in developing countries lead to higher investments in land and agricultural productivity holds sway in academic and development circles. In this paper, this notion is analyzed based on a comparative study of land reform programs and their implications for access to land, credit, and agricultural investments in Ghana, Kenya, and Vietnam. It focuses on how different access routes to land influence access to credit, and the transaction costs of land reform programs for agricultural investments. The paper concludes that in developing countries, the transaction costs of land reforms for investments can significantly increase if the influence of power is not addressed in order to reduce unequal access to land. The practical implementation of land reform is influenced by many factors, including the control on political power. Thus, measures must accompany implementation to check the use of power to derail land reform objectives. Moreover, the paper supports the argument that land reforms should be implemented in their local contexts so as to have positive effects on agriculture.

Keywords: land reform; access to land; transactions costs; credit; investment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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