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.

Full text files

40201 PDF-file Full text

Download statistics

Questions (including download problems) about the papers in this series should be directed to Sarah Ephrida Tione ()
Report other problems with accessing this service to Sune Karlsson ().

RePEc:hhs:nlsclt:2014_006This page generated on 2024-09-13 22:16:27.