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Ask a Local: Improving the Public Pricing of Land Titles in Urban Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Martina Manara

    (LSE)

  • Tanner Regan

    (George Washington University)

Abstract

Information on willingness-to-pay is key for public pricing and allocation of services but not easily collected. Studying land titles in Dar-es-Salaam, we ask whether local leaders know and will reveal plot owners’ willingness-to-pay. We randomly assign leaders to predict under different settings then elicit owners’ actual willingness-to-pay. Demand is substantial but below exorbitant fees. Leaders can predict the aggregate demand curve and distinguish variation across owners. Predictions worsen when used to target subsidies, but adding cash incentives mitigates this. We demonstrate that leader-elicited information can improve the public pricing of title deeds, raising uptake while maintaining public funds.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Manara & Tanner Regan, 2025. "Ask a Local: Improving the Public Pricing of Land Titles in Urban Tanzania," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 107(1), pages 188-203, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:107:y:2025:i:1:p:188-203
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01247
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    Citations

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    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Martina Manara & Tanner Regan, 2024. "Unbundling tenure security and demand for property rights: Evidence from urban Tanzania," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(11), pages 2080-2098, August.
    3. Manara, Martina, 2025. "Institutional transition: Social cohesion and demand for land titles in urban Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Manara, Martina & Pani, Erica, 2023. "Institutional pluralism and pro-poor land registration: Lessons on interim property rights from urban Tanzania," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    5. Harari, Mariaflavia & Wong, Maisy, 2024. "Colonial Legacy and Land Market Formality," MPRA Paper 121334, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Visser, Martine & le Roux, Leonard & Mulwa, Chalmers K. & Tibesigwa, Byela & Bezabih, Mintewab, 2024. "Adaptive investment with land tenure and weather risk: Behavioral evidence from Tanzania," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 398-434.
    7. Harari, Mariaflavia & Wong, Maisy, 2025. "Colonial legacy and land market formality," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    8. Manara, Martina & Pani, Erica, 2023. "Institutional pluralism and pro-poor land registration: lessons on interim property rights from urban Tanzania," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118651, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General

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