Where Do Formal and Local Land Institutions Matter More in Malawi?

Abstract

Considering that Malawi, is one of the poorest countries in the world, it might need to prioritize the implementation of its planned low-cost systematic customary land registration. Targeting first areas of higher regards for land formalization, while strengthening customary institutions in areas where land rights holders still respect local leader protections in safeguarding their tenure as they wait to be registered. Using a recent 2016/2017 IHS4 Malawi national wide data set, the study finds that determinants of higher and lower regards for land formalization and local leader protections as land tenure securing strategies respectively were: parcels facing potential tenure risk due to customary/local leaders, communities that tend to be recipients of temporal job seekers, and location in Central and Southern regions of Malawi.