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Property Rights, Land Disputes and Water Scarcity: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia

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  • Salvatore Di Falco
  • Jérémy Laurent‐Lucchetti
  • Marcella Veronesi
  • Gunnar Kohlin

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between insecure property rights and land disputes using farm household panel data from the highlands of Ethiopia. Our identification strategy relies on the gradual rollout of a land certification program. We find that tenure security significantly reduces the likelihood for a farm household to experience land disputes. We further document that water scarcity during the rainy seasons is an important determinant of land disputes. However, farm households that have been certified are significantly less likely to experience land disputes triggered by water scarcity than farm households without land certification.

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  • Salvatore Di Falco & Jérémy Laurent‐Lucchetti & Marcella Veronesi & Gunnar Kohlin, 2020. "Property Rights, Land Disputes and Water Scarcity: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(1), pages 54-71, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:ajagec:v:102:y:2020:i:1:p:54-71
    DOI: 10.1093/ajae/aaz036
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    5. Nicolas Gatti & Kathy Baylis & Benjamin Crost, 2021. "Can Irrigation Infrastructure Mitigate the Effect of Rainfall Shocks on Conflict? Evidence from Indonesia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 211-231, January.
    6. Lingling Hou & Pengfei Liu & Xiaohui Tian, 2023. "Grassland tenure reform and grassland quality in China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(5), pages 1388-1404, October.
    7. Shunran Wang & Fangping Rao & Xianlei Ma & Xiaoping Shi, 2022. "Farmland Dispute Prevention: The Role of Land Titling, Social Capital and Household Capability," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Niyazmetov, Davron & Soliev, Ilkhom & Theesfeld, Insa, 2021. "Ordered to volunteer? Institutional compatibility assessment of establishing agricultural cooperatives in Uzbekistan," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    9. Federica Cappelli & Caterina Conigliani & Davide Consoli & Valeria Costantini & Elena Paglialunga, 2023. "Climate change and armed conflicts in Africa: temporal persistence, non-linear climate impact and geographical spillovers," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(2), pages 517-560, July.
    10. Bichaye Tesfaye & Monica Lengoiboni & Jaap Zevenbergen & Belay Simane, 2023. "Rethinking the Impact of Land Certification on Tenure Security, Land Disputes, Land Management, and Agricultural Production: Insights from South Wello, Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-25, September.
    11. Elizabeth A. Mack & Richard A. Marcantonio & Erin Bunting & Amanda Ross & Andrew Zimmer & Leo C. Zulu & Edna Liliana Gómez Fernández & Jay Herndon & Geoffrey M. Henebry, 2022. "A Systematic Literature Review of Quantitative Studies Assessing the Relationship between Water and Conflict on the African Continent," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.

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