Rethinking land tenure reform...

This web site profiles a doctoral research project on land tenure and human security being conducted at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The over-arching goal of this research has been to address the conceptual and practical separation that exists between land tenure reform in post-conflict societies and the process of human development. This has been achieved by assessing rural land tenure in post-conflict Cambodia and examining its relationship with various dimensions of human security. Evaluations of land tenure have typically relied on the use of an economic framework to determine the human impact of tenure reform, focusing on the utility of land markets toward achieving a narrowly defined subset of development aims and objectives. However, the potential contribution of land tenure reform on human development is much broader, requiring an expanded approach to assess its impact.

Over the past 20 years, the normative process of human development has undergone a significant transformation, evolving beyond a focus on reconstruction and aggregate improvements in economic growth to include a greater consideration for the well-being of individuals. The international development community has recognised this transformation by embracing the idea that enhancing the freedom of individuals and groups should be the fundamental aim of the development process.

By achieving a better understanding of the human security implications of land tenure, opportunities can be revealed where the process of reform can make a coherent contribution toward broader human development goals in ways that are congruent with the principles of sustainable development. In this context, the concept of sustainable development requires that the utility of an intervention be understood in terms of its potential to meet human needs and aspirations. If development goals become compartmentalised and isolated from each other there is greater potential for unforeseen adverse effects which may undermine the overall development process. Hence, land tenure reforms must take place in the context of policies that seek to protect and manage in an integrated manner the natural resource base for economic and social development to occur.