Land Ownership Types across Countries

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the various forms of land ownership systems in the world. Land ownership status issues are being considered as one of the basic requirements for the countries development

it is because the land tenure systems are the fundamental effort of human life conditions on land. Secure land ownership is fundamental to shelter and livelihoods as well as the realisation of human rights, poverty reduction, economic prosperity and sustainable development. The objective of this research is to analyze the ownership systems in the world where the government, civil society, private sector and development cooperation initiatives have been implemented. Thus the problem definition can be formulated as a research question which is How does the land ownership systems differ in the world? According to the literature surveys conducted for the research, the land tenure ownership represent countries with different culture, socio-economic, legal aspect and land-related histories. It can take various forms among countries, including statutory, customary, public, crown, communal, informal and formal forms of land tenure. This thesis paper comprises five chapters. chapter 1 includes the introduction of the study, Chapter 2 provides reviews of the theoretical background through three key terminologies of the study: Land tenure, tenure security and land rights. It illustrates definitions and concepts of the terminologies that are the background of the study. This chapter also conducts an extensive literature review, which address the importance of this research and points out the difference between previous studies and this thesis. Chapter 3 presents general context of existing tenure types across the world. Through this chapter, analysis of the land tenure systems and the categorization of existing ownership systems into institutional frames. Chapter 4 continues with analyzing study findings from the previous chapter and land ownership types. It demonstrates analysis and identifies the key factors of each land ownership typology. The analysis is able to delineate the advantage and disadvantage of each system. As a closing remark, this thesis ends with providing conclusion with implications of the study and suggestions of future study agenda. Through the study, analysis of the land ownership systems and categorizing them into institutional frames: Statutory-private ownership, Customary-private ownership, Communal ownership, Religious ownership, Public ownership and Informal ownership, it will provide an overview of existing land tenure systems across the world as a spectrum. The analysis is able to delineate the advantage and disadvantage of each type.