IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v134y2025ics0306919225000934.html

Are you s(ec)ure? assessing the sensitivity of land tenure security estimates to survey design choices

Author

Listed:
  • Gourlay, Sydney
  • Maggio, Giuseppe
  • Safyan, Anahit
  • Zezza, Alberto

Abstract

Land tenure security is critically linked to several dimensions of development, including increased access to credit, investment, productivity, food security, and intra-household bargaining power, among others. Inequities across and within households, including productivity differentials, can be traced to and explained by difference in access to land. Despite being featured in two SDG indicators, very few countries have adequate data to understand and monitor land tenure security. Remedying that demands a shift from household-level data collection to more and better data on individual-level land rights. This paper leverages a unique methodological experiment in Armenia to rigorously examine the implications of respondent strategy and data collection level on land tenure data quality in the context of SDG monitoring. Findings from the randomization of households across treatment arms reveal significant differences in the estimation of certain land tenure components, especially when using proxy respondents at the parcel level. Gender disparities in land rights are prevalent, with men consistently reporting higher land tenure security than women across all measurement methods, with the point estimates of the implied gender gap varying with survey design choice. Heterogeneity and further analyses also shed light on a set of trade-offs deriving from factors such as areas of residence and gender of the reporting individual, financial constraints, survey structure, and respondent fatigue. The study contributes to the understanding of land tenure measurement and aligns with broader initiatives aimed at efficiently collecting comparable individual-level data at scale while informing policy decisions and SDG reporting.

Suggested Citation

  • Gourlay, Sydney & Maggio, Giuseppe & Safyan, Anahit & Zezza, Alberto, 2025. "Are you s(ec)ure? assessing the sensitivity of land tenure security estimates to survey design choices," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:134:y:2025:i:c:s0306919225000934
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102888
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919225000934
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102888?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simin Mozayeni, 1998. "Aggregation bias in estimates of demand for local services: Empirical evidence," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 4(3), pages 289-298, August.
    2. Daniel Domeher & Raymond Abdulai, 2012. "Access to Credit in the Developing World: does land registration matter?," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 161-175.
    3. de Mel, Suresh & McKenzie, David J. & Woodruff, Christopher, 2009. "Measuring microenterprise profits: Must we ask how the sausage is made?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 19-31, January.
    4. Ameye, Hannah & De Weerdt, Joachim & Gibson, John, 2021. "Measuring macro- and micronutrient consumption in multi-purpose surveys: Evidence from a survey experiment in Tanzania," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Fisher, Monica & Reimer, Jeffrey J. & Carr, Edward R., 2010. "Who Should be Interviewed in Surveys of Household Income?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 966-973, July.
    6. Michael Carter & Christopher Barrett, 2006. "The economics of poverty traps and persistent poverty: An asset-based approach," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 178-199.
    7. Beegle, Kathleen & De Weerdt, Joachim & Friedman, Jed & Gibson, John, 2012. "Methods of household consumption measurement through surveys: Experimental results from Tanzania," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 3-18.
    8. Cheryl Doss, 2012. "Intrahousehold Bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Reports 9145, The World Bank Group.
    9. Kilic, Talip & Moylan, Heather & Koolwal, Gayatri, 2021. "Getting the (Gender-Disaggregated) lay of the land: Impact of survey respondent selection on measuring land ownership and rights," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    10. Chris D. Arnot & Martin K. Luckert & Peter C. Boxall, 2011. "What Is Tenure Security? Conceptual Implications for Empirical Analysis," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 87(2), pages 297-311.
    11. Dillon, Andrew & Mensah, Edouard, 2024. "Respondent biases in agricultural household surveys," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    12. Cheryl Doss, 2013. "Intrahousehold Bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Countries-super-1," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 52-78, February.
    13. Holden, Stein T. & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2014. "The roles of land tenure reforms and land markets in the context of population growth and land use intensification in Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 88-97.
    14. Cheryl Doss & Chiara Kovarik & Amber Peterman & Agnes Quisumbing & Mara Bold, 2015. "Gender inequalities in ownership and control of land in Africa: myth and reality," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(3), pages 403-434, May.
    15. Ambler, Kate & Herskowitz, Sylvan & Maredia, Mywish K., 2021. "Are we done yet? Response fatigue and rural livelihoods," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    16. Steven Lawry & Cyrus Samii & Ruth Hall & Aaron Leopold & Donna Hornby & Farai Mtero, 2017. "The impact of land property rights interventions on investment and agricultural productivity in developing countries: a systematic review," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 61-81, January.
    17. Feder, Gershon & Feeny, David, 1991. "Land Tenure and Property Rights: Theory and Implications for Development Policy," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 5(1), pages 135-153, January.
    18. Misty Heggeness & Marta Murray-Close, 2019. "Manning Up and Womaning Down: How Husbands and Wives Report Earnings When She Earns More," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 28, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    19. Talip Kilic & Heather Moylan, 2016. "Methodological Experiment on Measuring Asset Ownership from a Gender Perspective," World Bank Publications - Reports 33653, The World Bank Group.
    20. Todorov, A. & Kirchner, C., 2000. "Bias in proxies' reports of disability: Data from the National Health Interview Survey on disability," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(8), pages 1248-1253.
    21. Abman, Ryan & Carney, Conor, 2020. "Land rights, agricultural productivity, and deforestation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    22. Bambio, Yiriyibin & Bouayad Agha, Salima, 2018. "Land tenure security and investment: Does strength of land right really matter in rural Burkina Faso?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 130-147.
    23. Ibrahim, Kobe H. & Hendriks, Sheryl L. & Schönfeldt, Hettie, 2022. "The effect of smallholder land tenure on child malnutrition in Nigeria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    24. Solomon Asfaw & Giuseppe Maggio, 2018. "Gender, Weather Shocks and Welfare: Evidence from Malawi," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(2), pages 271-291, February.
    25. Besley, Timothy, 1995. "Property Rights and Investment Incentives: Theory and Evidence from Ghana," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(5), pages 903-937, October.
    26. Longyao Zhang & Wenli Cheng & Enjiang Cheng & Bi Wu, 2020. "Does land titling improve credit access? Quasi-experimental evidence from rural China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 227-241, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gourlay,Sydney & Maggio,Giuseppe & Safyan,Anahit & Zezza,Alberto, 2022. "Measuring Land Tenure at the Individual Level : Lessons from Methodological Research in Armenia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10140, The World Bank.
    2. Masselus, Lise & Fiala, Nathan, 2024. "Whom to ask? Testing respondent effects in household surveys," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    3. Cheryl R. Doss & Agnes R. Quisumbing, 2020. "Understanding rural household behavior: Beyond Boserup and Becker," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 47-58, January.
    4. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S. & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Theis, Sophie & Doss, Cheryl R., 2017. "Women’s land rights as a pathway to poverty reduction: A framework and review of available evidence," IFPRI discussion papers 1663, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Kilic, Talip & Moylan, Heather & Koolwal, Gayatri, 2021. "Getting the (Gender-Disaggregated) lay of the land: Impact of survey respondent selection on measuring land ownership and rights," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    6. Fiala, Nathan & Masselus, Lise, 2022. "Whom to ask? Testing respondent effects in household surveys," Ruhr Economic Papers 935, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    7. Holden, Stein T. & Ali, Daniel & Deininger, Klaus & Hilhorst, Thea, 2016. "A Land Tenure Module for LSMS," CLTS Working Papers 1/16, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    8. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Quisumbing, Agnes & Doss, Cheryl & Theis, Sophie, 2019. "Women's land rights as a pathway to poverty reduction: Framework and review of available evidence," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 72-82.
    9. Shewakena Aytenfisu Abab & Feyera Senbeta & Tamirat Tefera Negash, 2023. "The Effect of Policy and Technological Innovations of Land Tenure on Small Landholders’ Credit-Worthiness: Evidence from Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, May.
    10. Dagdeviren, Hulya & Elangovan, Arthanari & Parimalavelli, Ramanathan, 2023. "Land tenure and food security in South India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    11. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Lambrecht, Isabel & Place, Frank & Chigbu, Uchendu Eugene & Monterroso, Iliana & Suhardiman, Diana, 2025. "Expanding tenure horizons in food policy research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    12. Séogo, Windinkonté & Zahonogo, Pam, 2023. "Do land property rights matter for stimulating agricultural productivity? Empirical evidence from Burkina Faso," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    13. Huntington, Heather & Stevens, Caleb, 2023. "Taking stock of global land indicators: A comparative analysis of approaches for a globally consistent land tenure security measure," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    14. Lambrecht, Isabel Brigitte, 2016. "“As a Husband I Will Love, Lead, and Provide.” Gendered Access to Land in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 188-200.
    15. Isabel Brigitte Lambrecht & Kristi Mahrt & Nang Lun Kham Synt & Hnin Ei Win & Khin Zin Win, 2023. "Gender gaps in land rights: Explaining different measures and why households differ in Myanmar," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(5), pages 728-741, September.
    16. Thomson, Frances & Parada-Hernández, Monica & Acero, Camilo, 2022. "Land formalization – The new magic bullet in counternarcotics? A case study of coca cultivation and tenure (in)formality from Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    17. Anne Jerneck, 2018. "What about Gender in Climate Change? Twelve Feminist Lessons from Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, February.
    18. Jérémie GIGNOUX & Karen MACOURS & Liam WREN-LEWIS, 2015. "Impact of land administration programs on agricultural productivity and rural development: existing evidence, challenges and new approaches," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 96(3), pages 467-498.
    19. Han, Wenjing & Zhang, Xiaoling & Zhang, Zhengfeng, 2019. "The role of land tenure security in promoting rural women’s empowerment: Empirical evidence from rural China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 280-289.
    20. Anthony Harris & Anthony D'Agostino & Sara Litke-Farzaneh & Beryl Seiler & Matt Sloan, "undated". "Morocco Land Productivity Project: Evaluation Design Report," Mathematica Policy Research Reports f3fc788501b64608b17e1cb23, Mathematica Policy Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:134:y:2025:i:c:s0306919225000934. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.