Land Reforms, Poverty Reduction, and Economic Growth: Evidence from India

30 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Klaus Deininger

Klaus Deininger

World Bank - Development Economics Group (DEC); World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

Songqing Jin

Michigan State University

Hari K. Nagarajan

National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)

Date Written: December 1, 2007

Abstract

Recognition of the importance of institutions that provide security of property rights and relatively equal access to economic resources to a broad cross-section of society has renewed interest in the potential of asset redistribution, including land reforms. Empirical analysis of the impact of such policies is, however, scant and often contradictory. This paper uses panel household data from India, together with state-level variation in the implementation of land reform, to address some of the deficiencies of earlier studies. The results suggest that land reform had a significant and positive impact on income growth and accumulation of human and physical capital. The paper draws policy implications, especially from the fact that the observed impact of land reform seems to have declined over time.

Keywords: Rural Poverty Reduction, Political Economy, Rural Development Knowledge & Information Systems, Municipal Housing and Land, Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction

Suggested Citation

Deininger, Klaus and Jin, Songqing and Nagarajan, Hari K., Land Reforms, Poverty Reduction, and Economic Growth: Evidence from India (December 1, 2007). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4448, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1076959

Klaus Deininger (Contact Author)

World Bank - Development Economics Group (DEC) ( email )

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

HOME PAGE: http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/kdeininger

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

1818 H. Street, N.W.
MSN3-311
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Songqing Jin

Michigan State University ( email )

Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1122
United States

Hari K. Nagarajan

National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) ( email )

Parisila Bhawan
11 - Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi, 110002
India

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