Land issues have been rising up the agenda of policy makers due to rapid urbanisation and high food prices. Yet, land administration is one of the most corrupt government activities. How should international donors respond? The first priority is to support domestic governments in improving land administration and anti-corruption processes in general. In addition, donors should undertake explicit analysis of the political economy of land, reduce the impact of their own projects on land administration corruption, help increase transparency and exploit international connections.

This topic guide presents an overview of land corruption in rural and urban areas, focusing on:

The investigative series Indonesia for Sale, co-published by The Gecko Project and Mongabay, exposes the corruption behind Indonesia’s deforestation and land rights crisis.

http://www.thegeckoproject.org

Large-scale land acquisitions often take place in developing countries which are also known for their corruption-friendliness caused by weak institutional frameworks. We hypothesize that corruption indeed leads to more land deals. We argue that corrupt elites exploit poor institutional setups (characterized by corruption) to strike deals with domestic and international investors at the expense of the local population. Using panel data for 156 countries from 2000-2011, we provide evidence that large-scale land deals indeed occur more often in countries with higher levels of corruption.

O termo “grilagem” remete à prática antiga de forjar um título de propriedade e colocá-lo em uma gaveta com grilos para amarelar o documento, conferindo a aparência de um documento legitimo. As táticas se modernizaram, persistindo diversas práticas, conhecidas como grilagem, que buscam fraudar títulos e invadir terras com o objetivo de apropriar- -se indevidamente de áreas tanto públicas quanto particulares, muitas vezes com o auxílio de agentes corruptos, sejam eles da esfera pública ou privada.

Existing land governance system in Zimbabwe subjects vulnerable groups such as women to ‘land corruption’, which entrenches the already existing gendered land inequalities. This study used secondary data and found that Zimbabwe has witnessed various forms of corruption in general and land corruption, in particular, despite the country having the requisite policy, legal and institutional frameworks as well as other mechanisms to curb the scourge of corruption.

In Zambia, security of tenure for communities residing under customary land tenure settings has in recent years increasingly come under threat owing to the pressures of high rate of urbanization, speculation, subdivision and conversion to state land, which effectively excludes marginal populations from accessing resources for their land. While customary land is a major resource for most Zambians, the inadequacy or total lack of documentation leads to tenure insecurity, making people susceptible to forced displacements, and frequent land disputes.

The Land Use Act of Nigeria, first enacted in 1978 was intended to simplify and standardise land administration systems across the country. It vested the authority to plan, assign and approve certificates of land ownership in the state governors, and all non-urban land in the local governments.

Forced evictions violate a number of internationally and nationally recognized human rights. However, it directly translates to a denial of the right to adequate housing which forms the very foundational basis for the realization of other rights. In the long run, it affects people’s social and economic livelihoods. However, forced evictions remain a practice that is majorly carried out in urban centers in Kenya.

Land titles registration is germane to providing proof of individual ownership of land. In recognition of its importance in enhancing property rights, efforts at improving land title registration has increased significantly. Generally, the most vital areas vulnerable to corruption in Africa land sector are land administration, customary land tenure, management of state-owned land, land use planning, family land inheritance, conversion of land use, investments for both present period and speculative purpose among others.

Notre article porte sur les pratiques de corruption liées aux opérations de lotissement dans le District de Bamako, plus précisément dans la commune VI. Notre démarche a consisté dans un premier temps, à faire une analyse des textes législatifs sur le foncier au Mali, dans un deuxième temps, à réaliser des enquêtes de terrain auprès des acteurs impliqués dans une opération de lotissement.