Giulia Barbanente investigates the impact of large-scale foreign land acquisitions (LSLAs) on rural households in Ethiopia and Tanzania. Given the scale of LSLAs happening in developing countries, there is urgent need to objectively assess whether risks for smallholders are balanced by positive economic outcomes. The author considers four key pathways of influence of LSLAs on rural households: access to land, returns to land, returns to labor and price of agricultural goods. The four pathways are tested on the background of Ethiopia's and Tanzania's land tenure systems, which are strikingly different. The evidence shows several elements of similarity in the reported effect of LSLAs on the defined indicators of households' welfare in the two countries.

Contents

LSLAs and Rural Development: Theoretical Predictions
International Policy Tools: Global Governance
LSLAs and Property Rights in Africa
Access to Land and Other Natural Resources

Target Groups Scholars and practitioners working in the field of rural development, law and development, development economics

The Author

Giulia Barbanente holds a PhD in Law and Economics, awarded jointly by University of Hamburg, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and University of Bologna. She works as a land tenure specialist conducting both research and program management activities.

Autorentext
Giulia Barbanente holds a PhD in Law and Economics, awarded jointly by University of Hamburg, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and University of Bologna. She works as a land tenure specialist conducting both research and program management activities.

Inhalt

LSLAs and Rural Development: Theoretical Predictions.- International Policy Tools: Global Governance.- LSLAs and Property Rights in Africa.- Access to Land and Other Natural Resources.