Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

CLTS Working Papers,
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies

No 6/14: Joint Land Certification, Gendered Preferences, and Land-related Decisions: Are Wives Getting More Involved?

Stein Holden () and Sosina Bezu
Additional contact information
Stein Holden: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postal: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
Sosina Bezu: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postal: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway

Abstract: We have investigated whether joint land certification in Southern Ethiopia has contributed to a strengthening of the perceived land rights of women and an increase in their intra-household involvement in land-related decisions. We use gender-disaggregated household panel data and generate indices for wives’ and husbands’ land rights attitudes and for wives’ involvement in land-related decisions. After controlling for endogeneity of land certification, using a Control function approach, we find that receipt of land certificate has strengthened wives’ awareness of their land rights. We also find evidence of an intra-household bargaining effect and an intracommunity social process effect that both contribute to stronger involvement of wives in landrelated decisions within households.

Keywords: joint land certification; gender; empowerment of wives; Ethiopia

JEL-codes: D03; J16; Q15

28 pages, First version: November 18, 2014. Revised: October 10, 2019.

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