Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/272674 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16047
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We study the role of proximity to historical ethnic borders in determining individual land ownership in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following an instrumental variable strategy, we document that individuals have a lower likelihood of owning land near historical ethnic borders. In particular, the likelihood of owning land decreases by 15 percentage points, i.e., about 1/3 of the mean rate of landownership, for rural migrants who move from 57km (90th percentile) to 2 km (10th percentile) from the border. This result aligns with the view that competition for land is stronger and property rights are weaker close to historical ethnic borders in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Subjects: 
land ownership
borders
property rights
historical homelands
development
Africa
Voronoi Tessellation
Thiessen Tessellation
JEL: 
D74
N57
O13
O17
O43
P48
Q15
Q34
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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