Joint Land Titling and Household Bargaining in Madagascar. Issue 4 (2nd October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Widman, Marit; Hart, Robert
• Is Part Of: Feminist economics. Volume 25:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 211
• Page End: 239
• Publication Date: 2019-10-02
• Subjects: Land titling -- gender -- household bargaining -- Madagascar; C78 -- D13 -- Q15; Feminist economics -- Periodicals; Women -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; Women -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; 330.082
• DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2019.1665195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-5701

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates analytically and through numerical simulations how the intrahousehold bargaining positions of a couple are affected by the opportunity to title agricultural land, and how the couple's choice between an individual male title and a joint title is determined. The results suggest that when land registration is offered to couples as a discrete choice between individual or joint titles, there is a risk that women with weak initial bargaining positions will be further weakened following the reform. A joint title will only be chosen if the spouses start off with relatively equal bargaining positions; otherwise a male title will be chosen. An application of the model to the situation of Madagascar, using household survey data, supports the predictions of the model.