Nicaragua - Land Policy and Administration : Toward a More Secure Property Rights Regime

This report centers on the problems
stemming from land issues in Nicaragua. The report's
main recommendations deal with four priority actions:
institutional reform; adjustments to the legal framework;
systematic regularization of land rights; and, firmly
addressing previous land invasions, and preventing future
invasions. The issue of land distribution, and ownership is
especially critical in Nicaragua; indeed, the country
underwent a revolution that aimed to redistribute land
widely. As a result of policies adopted in the wake of the
revolution, about 40 percent of all land in Nicaragua is now
affected by conflicting claims. Such insecurity has a strong
negative impact on how efficiently land is used, and how
land can be transacted - which has important implications
for economic growth, poverty reduction, and environmental
protection. Dealing with land issues in Nicaragua is a
priority - high levels of tenure insecurity, lack of clear
property rights and the institutions to effectively
administer them, which in turn precludes the development of
land markets - and, the underutilization of productive
resources - all of which contribute to adverse economic
impacts, and inevitably, environmental degradation as well.
The report looks at the incidence and impact of tenure
insecurity in Nicaragua, at the legal and institutional
issues underlying such insecurity ,and further issues policy recommendations.