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Right to stay? Long-run experimental evidence on land formalization and widows’ tenure security in Benin

Author

Listed:
  • Ioana Botea
  • Markus Goldstein
  • Kenneth Houngbedji

    (LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, DIAL - Développement, institutions et analyses de long terme, IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)

  • Florence Kondylis
  • Michael O’sullivan
  • Harris Selod

    (World Bank - Development Economics Research Group - BM = WB - La Banque Mondiale = The World Bank - WBG = GBM - World Bank Group = Groupe Banque Mondiale)

Abstract

In many parts of the world, women's land rights remain informal, leaving widows – especially those without a male heir – at high risk of losing access to their land and homes when their husbands die. We study whether large-scale land formalization programs can improve widows' tenure security, using data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Benin. Four years after the intervention, widows in villages with land formalization were significantly more likely to remain in their homes, with the strongest effects among those without a male heir. We identify two key mechanisms: increased community recognition of women's land rights and greater decision-making power over land resources. These findings highlight the potential of land formalization to strengthen women's tenure security and promote their long-term economic stability in similar settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioana Botea & Markus Goldstein & Kenneth Houngbedji & Florence Kondylis & Michael O’sullivan & Harris Selod, 2026. "Right to stay? Long-run experimental evidence on land formalization and widows’ tenure security in Benin," Post-Print hal-05482415, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05482415
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103675
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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