Rural Demography, Public Services and Land Rights in Africa: A Village-Level Analysis in Burkina Faso

Margaret McMillan, William Masters and Harounan Kazianga

No 17718, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper uses historical census data from Burkina Faso to characterize local demographic pressures associated with internal migration into river valleys after Onchocerciasis eradication, combined with a new survey of village elders to document change over time and differences across villages in local public goods provision, market institutions and land use rights. We hypothesize that higher local population densities are associated with more public goods and a transition from open-access to regulated land use. Controlling for province or village fixed effects, we find that villages' variance in population associated with proximity to rivers is closely correlated with higher levels of infrastructure, markets and individual land rights, as opposed to familial or communal rights. Responding to population growth with both improved public services and private property rights is consistent with both scale effects in public good provision, and changes in the scarcity of land.

JEL-codes: F20 H41 I18 J11 O12 O20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-agr and nep-dev
Note: EH PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published as Journal of Development Economics Volume 110, September 2014, Pages 313–326 Land and Property Rights Cover image Disease control, demographic change and institutional development in Africa Harounan Kaziangab, , , William A. Mastersc, , Margaret S. McMillana,

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Working Paper: Rural demography, public services, and land rights in Africa: A village-level analysis in Burkina Faso (2012)
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