Certified to Stay? Long-Run Experimental Evidence on Land Formalization and Widows’ Tenure Security in Benin

Ioana Botea, Markus Goldstein, Kenneth Houngbedji, Florence Kondylis, Michael O’Sullivan and Harris Selod
Additional contact information
Ioana Botea: World Bank
Markus Goldstein: Center for Global Development
Michael O’Sullivan: World Bank

No 718, Working Papers from Center for Global Development

Abstract: In many parts of the world, women’s land rights remain informal, leaving widows—especially those without a male heir—at high risk of losing access to their land and homes when their husbands die. We study whether large-scale land formalization programs can improve widows’ tenure security, using data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Benin. Four years after the intervention, widows in villages with land formalization were significantly more likely to remain in their homes, with the strongest effects among those without a male heir. We identify two key mechanisms: increased community recognition of women’s land rights and greater decision-making power over land resources. These findings highlight the potential of land formalization to strengthen women’s tenure security and promote their long-term economic stability in similar settings.

Keywords: property rights; land administration; gender; widowhood; intra-household insurance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 I31 J12 J16 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2025-05-22
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-iue
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Related works:
Working Paper: Certified to Stay? Long-Run Experimental Evidence on Land Formalization and Widows’ Tenure Security in Benin (2025)
Working Paper: Certified to Stay ? Long-Run Experimental Evidence on Land Formalization and Widows’ Tenure Security in Benin (2025)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cgd:wpaper:718

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