Property rights: Principles of customary land and urban development in Fiji

The complex nature of the various property right mechanisms towards development has remained elusive in the Pacific communities. Fiji's property rights, in particular, have a distinct cultural or ethnic dimension in the constitution. As a result, urban development is shaped by ways in which people from different cultural groups gain access to customary land either as formalized laws or enduring customary practices. This has had different implications on urban development, resource allocation, productive activities, capacity development, the opportunity to enhance the value of property, and access to land market for trade. This paper thus constructs a theoretical model based on property rights identified by Crocombe (1975) and the application of western rules that govern development of urban areas, and ultimately, resolves that policy makers need better institutional arrangements towards customary land to be able to achieve sustainability and security of property rights. The relationship of property rights, customary land and urban development is explored.