Rights and Resources Initiative
Whose Land Is It? Commons and Conflict States: Why the ownership of the commons matters in making and keeping peace
2008 Read document
This paper focuses on the tenure fate of the commons vis-à-vis three case studies in Afghanistan, Liberia and Sudan. The case studies provide examples of how the ownership of the commons has been a source of contestation between its traditional owners and the state. The case is made that in industrial economies the issue is generally being worked out peacefully, but much less so in rapidly transforming and frequently volatile agrarian
states and where customary landholders are often majorities (Bolivia, Angola and Indonesia).
Reinventing the Commons: An African Case Study Read document
This paper presents a case study of incentives and pressures that lead people to switch from a private to a communal management land ownership regime.
The Role of Land Tenure and Property Rights in Sustainable Resource Use: The Case of Benin
1994 Read document
This paper studies traditional land tenure and state land legislation and evaluates the existing tenure systems in Benin as a basis for sustainable resource management.
