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On the Political Economy of Autocratic Land Reform

Author

Listed:
  • Torvik, Ragnar
  • Davies, Rob
  • Mehlum, Halvor
  • ,

Abstract

We explore how autocratic land reforms can be used to prevent democratic change. The autocrat confiscates and redistributes land in an attempt to secure his power, exploiting the endogenous social identities and loyalty in the population. His optimal land reform balances the benefits of giving land to members of the elite to strengthen their support with the benefits of giving land to tillers to reduce their opposition against the autocratic rule. We show how autocratic land redistribution is more likely to increase land inequality further, the more unequal the land distribution is in the first place. While land to tillers is allocated in a way that increases inequality among them, land to the elite is allocated in a way that reduces the inequality within the elite.

Suggested Citation

  • Torvik, Ragnar & Davies, Rob & Mehlum, Halvor & ,, 2022. "On the Political Economy of Autocratic Land Reform," CEPR Discussion Papers 17201, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:17201
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Land reform; Autocracy; Political economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment

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