Submissions Accepted for Presentation at the World Bank Land Conference 2024

This study examines the influence of financial markets on land markets and market indicators, including land demand and speculation in Turkey. The study is quantitative research, using annual data from 2000-2023. The study will employ the ARDL model and Granger causality for the analysis. The study variables are population per kilometre (Pop/Km), bank land loan (BLL), loan to value (LTV), mortgage interest rate (Inf), and GDP per capita (GDP) and dummy variables for capturing the existence of structural break during the period of the study. The finding is expected to show that the financial market plays a significant role in Turkish land markets, including land use, land value and land speculation in general. LTV and GDP are expected to establish a positive relationship with BLL. In contrast, Pop/Km and inflation are expected to establish a negative relationship with BLL. These findings are expected to contribute to government land policy decisions.

The research aimed to assess the process, opportunities, and challenges of land information updating in the Amhara region's North Wollo Zone. The study utilized household questionnaires, focused group discussions, field observations, and document analysis. Land registration and certification began in the Amhara Region in 2003, with the updating process initiated in 2006. In the study area, 98% of rural households have registered their land and obtained first-level land certification. Land information updating occurs when there are changes in land ownership, parcel size, or shape, often through donation, inheritance, bequeathal, or land exchange. The current approach to land information updating is sporadic. Opportunities identified are such as community awareness, the presence of land administration experts, technical guidelines, and training. Challenges include informal land transfers, travel distance to administrative offices, complex updating formats, expert turnover, high fees, and surveying approaches. Addressing challenges, utilizing opportunities, and promoting long-term sustainable development are the recommendations.

Land registration programs on a large scale aimed at strengthening the land rights of farm households in Ethiopia have been executed in different degrees across different regions since 1998. This study investigates the contribution of land registration on the perceived tenure security, women and marginalized groups, and sustainable land-management practice after receiving a land holding certificate in the dryland areas, Ethiopia. Interviews were conducted with 385 households selected by using stratified random sampling techniques. The result showed 26% of households are afraid of land redistribution and farm loss in the next five years. Land registration has reduced the landlessness of women, the disabled while increasing the landlessness of youths. After registration, participation in land-management practices increased by 15%. The study determined age, household size, land management training, and livestock holdings as influential factors for increasing construction of water-harvesting systems. The findings should persuade policymakers to address potential sources of insecurity.

Do the land sales markets price in weak property rights enforcement? Imperfect land-related institutions may exacerbate distributional uncertainties and, as a result, affect land sales prices. The Ukrainian 2021 land reform launched a restricted agricultural land sales market, causing social turbulence as Ukrainians had concerns about property rights enforcement within land transactions. We argue that weak land-related institutions lead to distributional uncertainties and lower sellers' WTP and buyers’ WTA. Using two unique datasets from Ukraine, we estimate the effect of local institutions on farmland sales prices. We find that worse perceptions about land-related institutions were associated with lower land sales prices. However, the institutional effect appears to transpire only in areas with relatively competitive land markets. The results call for a holistic approach to liberal reforms with an explicit focus on institutional quality and its promotion.