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Land grabs and labor in Cambodia

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  • Anti, Sebastian

Abstract

Large-scale Land Acquisitions (LSLAs), often labeled “land grabs,” are long-term leases of land obtained by private companies. I merge data on the precise locations of 236 LSLAs in Cambodia established between 1996 and 2012 with newly geocoded data from the Cambodian Socio-Economic Surveys to estimate the effects of LSLAs on employment, household spending, and agricultural investment. I find that LSLAs cause a shift away from independent agricultural production towards employment in agricultural labor in adjacent regions. Additionally, I find that LSLAs result in a decline in household spending and little evidence that LSLAs result in local technology adoption.

Suggested Citation

  • Anti, Sebastian, 2021. "Land grabs and labor in Cambodia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:149:y:2021:i:c:s0304387820301917
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2020.102616
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    2. Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Deininger, Klaus, 2021. "Does title increase large farm productivity? Institutional determinants of large land-based investments' performance in Zambia," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315328, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Castet, Antoine, 2024. "The impact of large-scale land acquisitions on child food insecurity in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
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    5. Nanhthavong, Vong & Bieri, Sabin & Nguyen, Anh-Thu & Hett, Cornelia & Epprecht, Michael, 2022. "Proletarianization and gateways to precarization in the context of land-based investments for agricultural commercialization in Lao PDR," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    6. Deininger, Klaus W. & Ali, Daniel Ayalew & Neyter, Roman, 2023. "Impacts of a mandatory shift to decentralized online auctions on revenue from public land leases in Ukraine," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 432-450.
    7. Fuentes Cordoba, Gabriel, 2024. "Deforestation and child health in Cambodia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    8. Anti, Sebastian & Zhang, Zhihui, 2023. "Roads, women’s employment, and gender equity: Evidence from Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    9. Ham Kimkong & Buapun Promphakping & Harri Hudson & Samantha C. J. Day, 2023. "Agricultural Transformation in the Rural Farmer Communities of Stung Chrey Bak, Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural policy; Agricultural labor market; Project evaluation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O22 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Project Analysis
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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