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The Deregularization of Land Titles

Author

Listed:
  • Galiani Sebastian

    (Department of Economics, University of Maryland & NBER, 3105 Tydings Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Schargrodsky Ernesto

    (Ernesto Schargrodsky, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella & CONICET, Av. Figueroa Alcorta 7350, (C1428BCW) Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Abstract

In the last years, several countries implemented policy interventions to entitle urban squatters, encouraged by the results of studies showing large welfare gains from entitlement. We study a natural experiment in the allocation of land titles to very poor families in a suburban area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although previous studies on this experiment have found important effects of titling on investment, household structure, educational achievement, and child health, in this article we document that a large fraction of households that went through a situation at which formalization was challenged (death, divorce, sale/purchase), ended up being de-regularized. The legal costs of remaining formal seem too high relative to the value of these parcels and the income of their inhabitants.

Suggested Citation

  • Galiani Sebastian & Schargrodsky Ernesto, 2016. "The Deregularization of Land Titles," Man and the Economy, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 169-188, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:maneco:v:3:y:2016:i:2:p:169-188:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/me-2016-0018
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    Cited by:

    1. Italo A. Gutierrez & Oswaldo Molina, 2020. "Reverting to Informality: Unregistered Property Transactions and the Erosion of the Titling Reform in Peru," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(1), pages 317-334.
    2. Dy, Kenneth Bicol & Chau, Kwong Wing, 2023. "Compulsory land redistribution from the perspective of the theory of price control," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    3. Klaus W. Deininger & Daniel Ayalew Ali, 2024. "Land Price Effects of Informality, Farm Size, and Land Reform : Evidence from More Than One Million Transactions in Ukraine," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11013, The World Bank.
    4. Panman, Alexandra & Lozano Gracia, Nancy, 2022. "Titling and beyond: Evidence from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Deininger, Klaus & Ali, Daniel A., 2025. "Land Price Effects of Informality, Farm Size, and Land Reform: Evidence from More Than One Million Transactions in Ukraine," 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO 361025, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Klaus W. Deininger & Thea Hilhorst & Zevenbergen,Jaap & Nkurunziza,Emmanuel, 2025. "Capitalizing on Digital Transformation to Enhance the Effectiveness of Property Institutions : Conceptual Background and Evidence from 85 Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11100, The World Bank.
    7. Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Deininger, Klaus, 2022. "Institutional determinants of large land-based investments’ performance in Zambia: Does title enhance productivity and structural transformation?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Deininger, Klaus, 2024. "Using registry data to assess gender-differentiated land and credit market effects of urban land policy reform: Evidence from Lesotho," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    9. Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Deininger, Klaus & Mahofa, Godfrey & Nyakulama, Rhona, 2021. "Sustaining land registration benefits by addressing the challenges of reversion to informality in Rwanda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    10. Glaeser, Edward L., 2022. "What can developing cities today learn from the urban past?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • P14 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Property Rights

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