Land Tenure: An Introduction

Land tenure refers to the bundle of rights and responsibilities under which land is held, used, transferred, and succeeded. This essay surveys land tenure arrangements throughout the world since the Roman Empire. Particular attention is paid to how six forms of land tenure emerge, function, and change. The six forms of land tenure analyzed are (1) owner cultivation of small, private lands; (2) squatting on public or private lands; (3) large estates or latifundia; (4) feudal tenures with bound and unbound labor; (5) communal tenures; and (6) smallholder leasing from private landowners.