The Cost of Property Rights: Establishing Institutions on the Philippine Frontier Under American Rule, 1898-1918

Noel Maurer and Lakshmi Iyer

No 14298, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We examine three reforms to property rights introduced by the United States in the Philippines in the early 20th century: the redistribution of large estates to their tenants, the creation of a system of secure land titles, and a homestead program to encourage cultivation of public lands. During the first phase of American occupation (1898-1918), we find that the progress of implementing these reforms was very slow. As a consequence, tenure insecurity increased over this period, and the distribution of farm sizes remained extremely unequal. We identify two primary causes for the slow progress of reform: first, the high cost of implementing these programs was a major factor in reducing take-up. On the other hand, the government was reluctant to evict delinquent or informal cultivators, especially on public lands. This reduced the costs of tenure insecurity. Political constraints prevented the government from subsidizing land reforms to a greater degree.

JEL-codes: N45 N55 P14 P16 Q15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
Note: DAE
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Working Paper: The Cost of Property Rights: Establishing Institutions on the Philippine Frontier Under American Rule, 1898-1918 (2009)
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