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Land and Legibility: When Do Citizens Expect Secure Property Rights in Weak States?

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  • FERREE, KAREN E.
  • HONIG, LAUREN
  • LUST, ELLEN
  • PHILLIPS, MELANIE L.

Abstract

Legibility and political authority are often conflated in debates over formalization processes, including land titling. This can lead to a fundamental misunderstanding of what it is that citizens anticipate would strengthen their property rights. This study examines the effects of legibility on citizens’ evaluations of property rights in Malawi, a country with limited but increasing land titling. We argue that legibility is a strategic resource for citizens, which has value in itself. To disentangle the effects of legibility and authority on tenure security, we employ a survey experiment. Our findings show that respondents perceived land with written property rights to be more secure and more desirable regardless of whether a state or customary authority granted these land rights. In contrast to scholarship that examines legibility as a technology of state control, this research suggests that legibility can help citizens advance their interests.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferree, Karen E. & Honig, Lauren & Lust, Ellen & Phillips, Melanie L., 2023. "Land and Legibility: When Do Citizens Expect Secure Property Rights in Weak States?," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 117(1), pages 42-58, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:117:y:2023:i:1:p:42-58_4
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    Cited by:

    1. Junrong Ma & Li Tian & Yudi Zhang & Xin Yang & Yongfu Li & Ziang Liu & Lin Zhou & Zixuan Wang & Wei Ouyang, 2024. "Global property rights and land use efficiency," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.

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