Evolution of land distribution in West Bengal 1967–2004: Role of land reform and demographic changes

Pranab Bardhan, Michael Luca, Dilip Mookherjee and Francisco Pino

Journal of Development Economics, 2014, vol. 110, issue C, 171-190

Abstract: This paper studies how land reform and population growth affect land inequality and landlessness, focusing particularly on indirect effects owing to their influence on household divisions and land market transactions. Theoretical predictions of a model of household division and land transactions are successfully tested using household panel data from West Bengal spanning 1967–2004. The tenancy reform lowered inequality through its effects on household divisions and land market transactions, but its effect was quantitatively dominated by inequality-raising effects of population growth. The land distribution program lowered landlessness but this was partly offset by targeting failures and induced increases in immigration.

Keywords: Inequality; Land reform; Household division; Land markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 O13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Evolution of Land Distribution in West Bengal 1967-2004: Role of Land Reform and Demographic Changes (2014)
Working Paper: Evolution of Land Distribution in West Bengal 1967-2004: Role of Land Reform and Demographic Changes (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:110:y:2014:i:c:p:171-190

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.02.001

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