Abstract
ABSTRACT Research on large-scale land investments (LSLIs) can provide valuable insights into the support for developmental nationalism in Tanzania today. ‘Developmental nationalism’ is ‘a creative variant of liberation’, which purports to make ‘Tanzania great again’. The nationalist turn of late President Magufuli was grounded in political ideology and the selective history of the past that swept him to power. However, there is limited research on how political practice around land investments contribute to trust and support for public institutions. This paper makes two key contributions to scholarship on the political economy of LSLIs. First, we examine the messy politics of LSLIs, the failures in design and implementation, and the rise in local support for developmental nationalism in two rural settings in Tanzania. Second, using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), we identify distinct groups of individuals based on their trust in the President, the ruling party (CCM), the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) and support for LSLIs. We define political trust as ‘an evaluative orientation towards an institution or government, based on people's normative expectations’.
Highlights
Research on large-scale land investments (LSLIs) shows that land investments are unquestionably political, within statist land tenure regimes in Africa.1 Schlimmer demonstrates how the ‘land grab’ discourse became a talking point during the 2015 presidential elections in Tanzania.2 Cliffe et al explain how the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in the early 2000s shaped and reformed Zimbabwe’s political and economic environment.3 In countries where ‘land laws are centralised, and land is vested in the president as trustee’, the direct involvement of government agents and officials in land allocation and dispute resolution can foster the politicisation of LSLIs
The negative impacts of LSLIs on the rights of local communities,23 and the absence of adequate political tools oriented to holding investors accountable for the promises made to local people,24 place public institutions and citizens in a constant struggle for political legitimacy and support
The involvement of state agents in land transactions can transform land investments into a tool for politicians to garner political support. These land transactions contribute to questions about legitimacy and government representation within local political economies
Summary
Research on large-scale land investments (LSLIs) shows that land investments are unquestionably political, within statist land tenure regimes in Africa.1 Schlimmer demonstrates how the ‘land grab’ discourse became a talking point during the 2015 presidential elections in Tanzania.2 Cliffe et al explain how the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in the early 2000s shaped and reformed Zimbabwe’s political and economic environment.3 In countries where ‘land laws are centralised, and land is vested in the president as trustee’, the direct involvement of government agents and officials in land allocation and dispute resolution can foster the politicisation of LSLIs.4. Research on large-scale land investments (LSLIs) can provide valuable insights into the support for developmental nationalism in Tanzania today.
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