Can land registration work for the poor?

About this project

Background 

This research programme examined questions related to the design and practice of the land registration process, how these processes are governed and the equity of outcomes in Ethiopia, Ghana and Mozambique. While registration projects might in theory be expected to help poorer groups confirm their claims to land, in practice registration has often served to re-distribute assets towards the wealthier and better-informed. But, is this inevitable? Can provisions be made which explicitly address the need to level the playing field between poorer and better-off groups as it relates to registration of claims over land? What might these provisions include? How might the poor gain greater voice within local institutions and ensure their broader accountability?

Location 

Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique

Dates 

September 2002-June 2005

Impacts 

While research on the impact of land registration is limited to a few countries in Africa, experience and results from this work are likely to generate much broader interest, given the growing concern to identify ways to bring about more secure systems of land rights management and reduce risks of conflict. The research findings are also relevant to debates on how best to address poverty and the extent to which land issues and local governance should be much more centrally considered within Poverty Reduction Strategy programmes.

Contact 

Lorenzo Cotula lorenzo.cotula@iied.org