Evolving Land Markets in Subsaharan Africa

As population pressure of land rises, one expect land markets, at least in informal ways, to emerge and evolve in African countries subject to growing population pressure. The question is especially interesting for Africa, a region in which customary systems of land tenure were based on important restrictions on property rights in land. The project comprises two big questions. First, do we find that land rights become more individualised, including more tradability of these rights, when population pressure rises? And what are the mechanisms whereby such transformation occurs? Second, what are the effects of the individualisation of land rights, from the standpoint of both efficiency (both static and dynamic) and equity?

The whole project is based on first-hand empirical data collected by CRED's members, in Rwanda (completed), Burkina Faso (completed), Uganda (completed), Kenya (ongoing) and Mali (ongoing).