Privatization Of Agricultural Land Research Articles

On the effectiveness of restricted tendering as a form of policy intervention on agricultural land markets

The ongoing sharp rise in farmland prices in Europe has led to a discussion concerning the need for political intervention and stronger market regulation on agricultural land markets. In this context, restricted tendering for the privatization of agricultural land in post-communist countries is discussed and used as one form of political intervention. Only certain groups of bidders may participate in such tendering procedures in order to give them greater opportunities and to counteract effects such as land grabbing or structural change. Against this background this paper aims to answer the question, whether restricted tendering procedures allow structurally disadvantaged groups of bidders to buy at lower prices as is intended by the assessed policy intervention. A rich data set of over 12,000 first-price-sealed-bit auctions of agricultural land between 2005 and 2019 from Eastern Germany is analyzed using an auction theory individual private value framework and Propensity Score Matching. Results show that restricted tendering on agricultural land markets does not fulfill its intended purpose. Although the policy's intermediate aim of considerably reducing the number of bidders is achieved, the ultimate goal of lower purchase prices is missed. On the contrary, the findings indicate that restricted tendering actually leads to higher purchase prices for comparable farmland plots.

Analysis of security management activities and economic consequences of corruption in privatization of agricultural land in Serbia

Security management does not make strategic decisions, but it significantly influences their decision-making by providing top management with information and assessments on the basis of which strategic goals are defined and operational decisions are made. The paper also discusses the economic consequences of corruption in the privatization of agricultural land. The subject of the paper is privatization - a litmus test that clearly shows the strength of the Government's commitment to implement comprehensive reforms, primarily due to the consequences it causes in terms of social status and, more importantly, cultural patterns and way of thinking of the population. With privatization, the new owners would very often launder the money gained from criminal activities or would be interested only in acquiring attractive real estate, but not in preserving the production program, which led to a large number of fired workers and destroyed companies.

Land tenure and economic development: Evidence from Vietnam

• Impact of private land tenure on economic development, exploiting the 1993 nationwide land privatization in Vietnam. • Private land tenure has a positive and significant impact on economic development, as proxied by nighttime light intensity. • The magnitude of the impact is sensitive to both observed and unobserved confounding factors, and overall modest. • The lingering insecurity of private land tenure and the relatively high taxes and time cost of land transactions are to blame. The relationship between private property rights and economic development has been investigated by numerous cross-country studies. Nevertheless, aggregate measures of private property rights have prevented cross-country studies in general from identifying the specific institutions governing private property rights that policy reforms should consider. The present paper investigates the impact of private property rights to land on economic development in a within-country setting, exploiting the 1993 nationwide land privatization in Vietnam. Using a random sample of more than 2000 rural communes across Vietnam, our study finds that the prevalence of private land tenure has a positive and significant impact on the level of economic development, as proxied by nighttime light intensity. The magnitude of the impact, however, is sensitive to both observed and unobserved confounding factors, and overall modest. The most plausible explanations for this modest impact are the lingering insecurity that land-use certificates can be revoked by the state and the relatively high taxes and time cost of land transactions in Vietnam. These lessons are of interest not only to Vietnam with its future land reform, but also to other developing countries contemplating the privatization of agricultural land.

State and Use of Land Resources in Russia: Trends of the Current Decade

The paper considers the state of the land fund in the Russian Federation, primarily the reclaimed land fund. It has been established that the negative tendency to reduction in the area of irrigated land that prevailed in previous post-Soviet decades has been overcome. But there is still a significant proportion of unused reclaimed land, for the development of which funds from budgets of various levels and agricultural organizations were previously expended. In fact, irrigation covers less than 30% of land recorded as irrigated. Due to the special conditions of mass privatization of agricultural land in the 1990s, a significant part of it has turned out to be abandoned: according to various estimates, its area is from 30 to 50 mln ha. In general, the trends of the last decade are positive, but the results achieved are assessed as insufficient.

Post-Soviet Transformations in Pastoral Systems in the North Caucasus: The Development of Hybrid Institutions

This article describes the condition and spread of one of the most mobile forms of pastoralism, transhumance, as well as factors and transition pathways that have taken place in the pastoral systems of the North Caucasus. The weakening of centralization and control over local economies, as well as the cessation of subsidies to collective and state farms in the 1990s, led to the destruction of state-regulated transhumance. At the same time, traditional institutions and local forms of social organization, such as ethnic groups, tribal alliances, and family associations, are playing an important role. This study is based on mapping of pasture use, analysis of statistical data, and interviews with shepherds, municipal authority representatives, and government officials from regional agricultural departments. It describes the factors promoting or limiting transhumance in 4 regions (Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia–Alania, and Karachay–Cherkessia), including ethnicity, land tenure, the status of privatization of agricultural land, and centralization of power. Leading actors and institutions in 3 periods, pre-Revolutionary, Soviet, and post-Soviet, are considered, with a more detailed analysis of the last period right up to present times. The role of resettlement of people from the mountains to the plains in the Soviet period, which contributed to the development of transhumance in the modern period, is emphasized. Institutional hybrids are discussed, including formal state and informal (traditional and new) rules to regulate the use of pastures during the transition from the Soviet central planning system to market relations.

Land Grabbing And Its Impact On Food Security In Sub-Saharan Africa

Over the last decade, the synergy between the financial and food crises has led to the emergence of new processes in the functioning of national economies – the seizure of agricultural land. On the one hand, the governments of most African countries, for the sake of their food security, import food and buy agricultural land overseas to organize their own agricultural production. On the other hand, the main purpose of multinational companies investing in land purchases is to generate more profit. This situation led to the rapid and complete privatization of agricultural land on the African continent between 2008 and 2010, while the locals were living outside poverty. The peasants’ right of access to land is no longer guaranteed, they have remained unprotected in their own territories. At present, exponential population growth and its needs are taking place, access to land and water is a crucial element of government. The purpose of the article is to analyze the probable conflicts in land relations arising from the transfer of land to multinational companies. The term ‘land grabbing’ means the large-scale acquisition (purchase, lease) of agricultural land by private individuals for commercial purposes abroad and in the long term (30-90 years) for agricultural production or biofuel production for export. The author of the article found that the products grown on these lands will be destined for the population of other countries, which is detrimental to the local population. Consequently, the seizure of land will in the future have negative socio-economic consequences for society: the destruction of farms, the exacerbation of contradictions between the rural population, the destruction of community fields beyond land acquired by foreign states and transnational corporations. In addition, the study concludes that, first, the seizure of land on the African continent through foreign direct investment, capital transfers, technology and job creation can help to increase the individual income and standard of living of the local population, and thus promote food security; secondly, the significant demand for food and biofuels in the world, population pressures and climate change are factors contributing to the improvement of product quality in the African continent. Keywords: land grabbing, food security, impact, rural agriculture, Sub-Saharan Africa.

On Inequality of Rights in Agricultural Land Privatization

The article examines the institution of agricultural land privatization. Considering the dynamics of modern legislation, considerable attention is paid to the historical overview of the development of regulatory developments in this institution. Currently, due to uncertain meaning of the term "privatization", the author emphasized its semantic content in regulating land relations in general and in connection with the turnover of agricultural land, in particular through the application of content analysis methods in normative materials. In addition, the land purchase was compared with certain provisions of foreign legal systems. The study has led to conclusions regarding the need for formation of independent law enforcement practices for privatization of agricultural land for agricultural use. The author suggests using this term if there is a regional norm on privatization. At the same time, if the regional legislation establishes the date for privatization commencement beyond an obvious planning horizon and does not allow the use of this particular institution, the author offers to transform public property into private using the institution to purchase land granted on a lease basis. The current application of the institute of public land privatization for agricultural use lacks the opposition of semantic burden of privatization to other forms of transformation of public possession into private property. The absence of such opposition in a law enforcement practice provides an opportunity for confusion of privatization and land purchase when considering specific disputes. Today, those participating in privatization, i.e. persons who can potentially purchase publicly owned lands, are in unequal conditions with regard to other methods of acquiring public lands, including through purchase in case of a bona fide rent. The study itself aims to understand the results of public land transformation into private land based on a priori provision on the need to form a competitive environment for the existence of various forms of ownership through economic regulation methods, avoiding the provision of legal advantages to individual forms of ownership.

AGRICULTURAL LAND PRIVATIZATION IN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: CONTRADICTIONS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM

Incomplete land reform in the domestic agricultural sector, in particular the absence of the Law of Ukraine "On the Use of Agricultural Land" makes it impossible to organize the process of buying and selling privatized land. Essentially private land ownership as the process is not complete. The highest legislative body the Supreme Council of Ukraine prohibits privatization of agricultural land. Consequently, the purpose of the research is to investigate the reasons of conflicts, caused by the privatization of agricultural land of agro-industrial complex, and also to suggest specific mechanism and ways of solving this problem. In course of the research the authors have learned that the real number of effective land owners is 15-18 %. They provide using of privatized land in accordance with modern requirements. Exactly they should have a priority right for buying and selling a land. Secondly, use the experience of some European countries should be justified. Thirdly, the contradictions that exist between opponents and supporters of private ownership can be solved by applying new criteria for quality of land reproduction. Property rights should be guaranteed with regard to the interests of society and the collective. Then we have analyzed the principles of agrarian and land reforms in the domestic agricultural sector. The mistakes that were made during the event on deregulation, allotment and privatization of agricultural purposes land are investigated. Furthermore, the authors have shown the positive and negative aspects of land privatization process. The paper identifies major shortcomings and defects of using and protection by the land owners and by users that are caused by privatization. The need of re-privatization by using quality criteria and the new land legislation is substantiated. It is proved that reproduction of land resources at the domestic agricultural sector in according to newest market principles must requires the creation of a land market and really functioning mechanism of buying and selling land. The authors have concluded that particular attention should be paid to creating a transparent, fair, easy and affordable mechanism for the practical organization process of the land sale, constraints and preferences to be introduced at the same time. The preconditions of buying and selling land that would ensure equal access rights to all participants at the market of agricultural land are outlined.

Традиционное природопользование шапсугов: перспективы возрождения

The issue of the current socio-economic situation among the Shapsugs (indigenous people of the Russian Federation), currently live in Tuapse and Lazarevsky districts of Sochi, is considered. Special attention is paid to problems of conservation, allocation and protection of “native habitat” (“ethnic territories”) of Shapsugs and their traditional way of life. The relevance of the study stems from the fact that the politicization of these issues continues. Reduction of territories for a number of indigenous ethnic groups in which they originally lived and led their farm, the pendency of the issue contributes to increasing tensions in Black Sea region. For Shapsugs it is due to the privatization of agricultural land in the 1990-ies and the expansion of nature conservation areas of Sochi city-resort. Periodically the issue is raised about the re-establishment of territorial autonomy in the form of the Shapsug national district - as one of the guarantors of the distinguishing and protection of “native habitat.” The study defined the concept of “ethnic territory,” equivalent to the concept of “territory of traditional nature use.” The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the situation in other regions of the Russian Federation (Shor national park, Kemerovo region). The attempts to resolve the difficulties are considered. The work is performed on the basis of analysis of historiography, media publications and documents of the Administration of Krasnodar region, data on the national public associations and congresses of Shapsugs.

Creative Economic Building Components For Low-Income Housing

When observing Egypts method of expansion, one can identify a clear language and distinctive pattern of urban development. The years following 1952, marked by the privatization of agricultural land and the population boom, gave rise to a soon to be urban catastrophe. In order to fulfil the needs of the growing population, buildings were sprouting out everywhere, causing agricultural lands to disappear under a jungle of red bricks, erasing the lines between urban and rural. This phenomenon of informal expansion has spread across the country composing what is commonly known as Ashwa'eeyat or informal settlements. In Egypt, these can be identified by a unified method of construction using concrete skeleton structures of concrete slabs and beams along with plain red brick walls; an appearance that does not reflect nor shed light on the Egyptian culture or environmental requirements. The use of bricks and concrete is due to the fact that this construction method is the most commonly used and feasible type of construction; the material is available, the workmanship, even though it is not the most economic method. Egypt is a developing country that possesses numerous resources, being both tangible and intangible ones. The aim of this paper is to research and determine the possibility of creating different elements of construction utilizing available resources and recycling waste material. These elements would be economic and reflective of the Egyptian culture while maintaining the necessary environmental and physical safety requirements sought in residential buildings.

Legal Colonialism - Americanization of Legal Education in Israel

The influence on the legal education in Israel has been significantly increased during the last three decades. Many faculty members gained their post-graduate education in law schools. This phenomenon emerged out of both economic and cultural considerations. The result is an importation of research and teaching practices as well as the importation of theories and values. This process has significant influence on the Israeli legal system. The legal scholarship turns to be more universal and less local. English turns to be the main language of the legal academic discourse. The focus of the academic legal research is gradually concentrating on contents and materials. These phenomena have negative influences on the interaction of academy and legal practitioners in Israel. Moreover, theories that emerged in an environment are percolated from the academic world to policy makers and judges. These policies have been applied as a solution for local and unique Israeli problems. The unique characteristics of the Israeli situation are neglected. Three examples to the latter are brought from the field of judicial cases concerning land policy. The first is the influence of the Brown v. Board of Education precedent on Israel policy with regard to allocation of land resources to minorities in a Jewish state. The second is the influence of theories concerning indigenous people and distributive justice on the privatization of agricultural land in Israel. The third is the influence of theories of distributive justice and social responsibility on the attitude of the Israeli legal world to land expropriations. These three examples show that the influence of the education may go beyond the legal sphere and have a significant influence on basic political interior problems of foreign nations. Thus, the Israeli case may be a prism of a modern way of colonialism – a legal colonialism. This kind of superpower influence on small friendly nations is not exercised by military or economic pressure, but by an export of academic education. It may be noticed in Obama's insight that American values are America's great export to the world.

Agrarian Change and Privatization of Ejido Land in Northern Mexico

This paper uses the findings of a 1999 case study of ejidos (collective landholdings) in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, a prominent agricultural region of northwest Mexico, to examine responses to a series of economic and legal reforms enacted as part of Mexico’s ‘Reform of the Countryside’, which began in the late 1980s. In particular, it analyses reactions to the 1992 amendment to Article 27 of Mexico’s Constitution, which legalized the rental and sale of previously inalienable ejido land and created programmes and institutions to officially certify ejido members’ land rights. The paper concludes that the complex of economic and legal reforms – combined with the specificities of Sonoran agriculture – has generated a visible change in ejidos with respect to land operation, setting the stage for an accelerated shift towards the privatization of agricultural land in northern Mexico.

Household Formation, Private Property, and the State

Assuming that households are not natural units, it is important to explore the processes through which the exterior boundaries and internal dynamics of households are formed and transformed in particular agrarian contexts. This paper examines the impact of two such processes: the privatization of agricultural land, which encloses individuals within households and restricts the range of relationships through which they can access resources; and interventions by the state, both ideological and administrative in nature, which aim to reform households as units of ownership and control. These processes are explored through a review of literature from Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, then examined in detail in a case-study from the Tinombo hills of Central Sulawesi. Rejecting the notion that there is a pre-determined trajectory of household development or agrarian change, emphasis is given to the creative, generative dimension of cultural practice which produces particular (partial) resolutions.

中国オルドス高原杭錦旗の連環井とその技術的応用について

A special groundwater collector system, termed “Lianhuanjing”, exists in Hangjin Qi, Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, on the Ordos Plateau, China. The author investigated “Lianhuanjing” on its development history, size, function, water quality, etc. More than 60 “Lianhuanjing” exist on the top of the hill at elevations of 1, 450 to 1, 600 meters above sea level, where little groundwater recharge occurs and only fissure water is expected.Hangjin Qi has only 150-300 mm of annual precipitation, about 3, 000 mm of potential evapotranspiration and is an arid climate typical of deserts and steppes. Major droughts have very often occurred there as shown in Table 1. As it was very difficult to obtain water, farmers living there developed a unique groundwater collector system known as “Lianhuanjing”. “Lianhuanjing” may be described as a “chained collector well system” from a functional point of view.The length of the first “Lianhuanjing”, constructed in 1959 and completed in 1962 at Ganhaiz, Shengli Village, Hangjin Qi shown Fig. 2, was 1, 200 meters and contained 300 vertical holes. Each 4 m-interval-hole was the hole from which earth and sand was thrown away. An ideal arrangement of “Lianhuanjing” is linear and goes direct to groundwater flow for collecting water efficiently. Water volume brought from “Lianhuanjing” was limited, but extracted water contributed to the local development of agriculture. After the favorable performance of the first “Lianhuanjing”, a lot of “Lianhuanjing” were constructed. But during and immediately after the “Cultural Revolution”, new “Lianhuanjing” were constructed. Several reasons, such as the collapse of the people's commune system in China, the privatization of agricultural land, and the introduction of new technology for drilling wells encouraged farmers to construct many new, small-scale “Lianhuanjing” systems after 1989. The arrangement of the “Lianhuanjing” constructed after 1989 was a geometrical distribution as shown in Fig. 6. This was the reason why farmers thought such an arrangement of the wells could collect groundwater more efficiently than the linear arrangement in case of getting fissure water in limited agriculture land.Quality of groundwater withdrawn from “Lianhuanjing” was Ca-HCO3 type, but contained quite high nitrate concentrations, over the drinking standard. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) was less than 1, and the value was judged as good only for irrigation.“Lianhuanjing” is a special and unique groundwater collector system combining vertical holes with lateral ones, found only in Hangjin Qi, to obtain fissure water. There are two other similar irrigation facilities, such as the Kanat system and the so-called “Manchulian well”, but “Lianhuanjing” is quite different from others as shown in Table 3. However, the technology of “Lianhuanjing” is quite valuable even for Japan as it is applicable to the places where the sandstone bedrock is rather shallow and groundwater resources is limited.

Consolidation of the Albanian agricultural land reform through a program for creating an immovable property registration system

The Albanian agricultural land privatization program begun in 1991 has resulted in the de facto distribution of nearly all of the agricultural land of the country to former members of cooperatives and workers on the ex-state farms. However, only about half of the land has been legally titled, and of the land titled, many of the present holders of the land feel insecure in their ownership because of lingering claims of the ex-owners of the land from prior to the collectivization of the land by the previous regime. Moreover, the distribution of the land was done by village land commissions which produced some discrepancies between the documentation of the new ownership and what in fact is owned. Finally, the privatization of agricultural land was not accompanied by explicit and clear legal definitions for the privatization of housing in the villages. The program for creating a new System for the Registration of Immovable Property is providing some resolution to the problems which have emerged from the rapid and comprehensive privatization of agricultural land.