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Collective Property Leads to Household Investments: Lessons from Land Titling in Afro-Colombian Communities

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Listed:
  • Ximena Pena
  • María Alejandra Vélez
  • Juan Camilo Cárdenas
  • Natalia Perdomo

Abstract

In the developing world, collective land titling has become an important tool for recognizing the historical presence of ethnic communities and safeguarding their rights to occupy and manage their territories. However, little is known about the average impact of these titling processes on the well-being of these communities. In this paper we attempt to estimate the impact of collective land titling in territories inhabited by Afro-descendent communities in Colombia. Using an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) estimation, we compare rural districts in titled areas with rural districts in untitled areas that are similar in all the relevant observable characteristics. We find that the collective titling process in the Chocó region has caused an increase in average household per capita income, larger investments in housing, higher attendance rates among children in primary education, and a decrease in housing overcrowding. Our results suggest that collective land titling creates a more secure natural resource base and a longer time horizon for households in collective territories, which leads to investment in their private physical and human capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Ximena Pena & María Alejandra Vélez & Juan Camilo Cárdenas & Natalia Perdomo, 2016. "Collective Property Leads to Household Investments: Lessons from Land Titling in Afro-Colombian Communities," Documentos CEDE 14573, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000089:014573
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Iván Higuera-Mendieta, 2016. "Persistencias históricas y discontinuidades espaciales: territorios comunitarios en el Pacífico colombiano," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 239, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    2. Vélez, Maria Alejandra & Robalino, Juan & Cardenas, Juan Camilo & Paz, Andrea & Pacay, Eduardo, 2020. "Is collective titling enough to protect forests? Evidence from Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Pacific region," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Dagdeviren, Hulya & Elangovan, Arthanari & Parimalavelli, Ramanathan, 2023. "Land tenure and food security in South India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    4. Joaquín Daniel Ramírez-Cabarcas, 2022. "Can collective property rights foster development? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in Colombia," Documentos CEDE 20327, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    5. Fox, Jonathan, 2020. "Contested terrain: International development projects and countervailing power for the excluded," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Steven B. Caudill & Stephanie O. Crofton & João Ricardo Faria & Neela D. Manage & Franklin G. Mixon & Mary Greer Simonton, 2020. "Property confiscation and the intergenerational transmission of education in post-1948 Eastern Europe," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 184(1), pages 1-41, July.
    7. Ivan D. Lobo & Maria Alejandra Vélez, 2020. "From strong leadership to active community engagement: effective resistance to illicit economies in Afro Colombian collective territories," Documentos CEDE 17908, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    8. Isael Fierros-González & Jorge Mora-Rivera, 2022. "Drivers of Livelihood Strategies: Evidence from Mexico’s Indigenous Rural Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-16, June.
    9. Bonilla-Mejía, Leonardo & Higuera-Mendieta, Iván, 2019. "Protected Areas under Weak Institutions: Evidence from Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 585-596.
    10. Paola Palacios & Germán Lambardi, 2020. "Títulos colectivos, violencia contra civiles y conflicto armado interno en Colombia," Revista Economía y Región, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Afro-descendants; Collective property; Colombia; Ethnic community; Land titling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • Q24 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Land
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations
    • N36 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N56 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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