Farmland Dispute Prevention: The Role of Land Titling, Social Capital and Household Capability

Abstract

Disputes over farmland constitute an important challenge for tenure security, economic growth and social stability. Land titling is a theoretically promising policy instrument that can enhance tenure security and reduce the occurrence of farmland disputes in the developing world. However, the impact of land titling on the occurrence of disputes has been found to be highly conditional. Empirical evidence on this issue has been surprisingly limited and has often lacked the consideration of a specific context. In this study, whether land titling affects the incidence of farmland disputes in the context of China is investigated, focusing particularly on the interaction between land titling and social capital and household capability. Both the probit and CLL models are applied, using household data entailing a total of 3693 samples located in rural China. The results show that (1) land titling in China reduces the incidence of farmland disputes, and that (2) the analysis based on interaction terms indicates that households who are disadvantaged in social capital and household capability are more likely to experience fewer disputes. Implications for the government and organizations are as follows: (1) the titling programme should seriously consider the current tenure arrangement. Confirmation of current tenure is recommended over the establishment of a new system to avoid possible institutional shopping and overlapping claims; and (2) land titling, if well implemented, is recommended to redress local power asymmetry and to help vulnerable groups defend their property.

Does Land Approval Facilitate Conservation Tillage? An Examination through the Lens of Straw-Returning Technology

“…Land approval refers to the government's establishment of secure land contractual relationships with farmers through the execution of land contracts and the issuance of land contract certificates [37,38]. In rural China, land is collectively owned by village collectives, and various entities possess land use rights.…”

How Did the Land Contract Disputes Evolve? Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

“…Based on a field survey in SY County, Jiangsu, Yu et al [37] proposed a "holistic" approach to dispute management; Tan et al [38] used a fixed-effects model to reveal the underlying mechanisms which affect the evolution of land disputes in terms of the urbanization process, property rights system construction and input for dispute resolution; Xia et al [39] found a gradual increase in the incidence of disputes and a large difference in spatial and temporal distribution. In addition, the role of land ownership, social capital, and household capacity in preventing farmland disputes has also been studied [40]. In addition, against the background of China's comprehensive rural revitalization strategy, researchers have begun to focus on the interaction between land contract disputes and rural governance [41,42], while other scholars have examined the impact of digital inclusive finance development on rural land contract dispute cases from a cost-benefit and financial equity perspective [43].…”