Right 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 ()
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Harris Selod: World Bank - Development Economics Research Group - BM = WB - La Banque Mondiale = The World Bank - WBG = GBM - World Bank Group = Groupe Banque Mondiale

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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: Intra-household insurance; Widowhood; Gender; Land administration; Property rights (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02
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Published in Journal of Development Economics, 2026, 179, pp.103675. ⟨10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103675⟩

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Journal Article: Right to stay? Long-run experimental evidence on land formalization and widows’ tenure security in Benin (2026)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05482415

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103675

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