Complete Book PDF (4.12MB) - World Bank eLibrary

Land Sector Corruption in Ethiopia 291
• Certify existing land rights for a range of purposes, including transferring
or selling rights, using the rights as security for a loan, accessing government
and other services such as crop insurance
• Record or register changes in rights (including sale, exchange, gift, or
inheritance) or encumber rights (including mortgage, easements, rightsof-way,
liens, and caveats)
• Develop and implement land use plans and procedures to put into
effect land management policies and legislation
• Make decisions related to applications to develop land and property
• Value the land and property for assessing land tax and collecting taxes
• Expropriate private rights in land and property for public or private
purposes.
Weaknesses in the Chain
As noted above, the land sector is susceptible to corruption. This corruption
can occur throughout the chain of activity, but is particularly prevalent
in the downstream activity of implementation. The value chain,
shown in table 7.1, sets out the conceptual framework for investigating
corruption in the land sector.
Corruption in the land sector can have serious implications, including
the loss of state assets and revenue; the undermining of systems to enforce
restrictions on land use (which can affect the environment and degrade
resources); and serious constraints on economic activity due to unwillingness
or inability to invest in land and invest in land development as a
result of uncertainty in rights and restrictions. More important, corruption
in the land sector can undermine public trust in government in
general and in the land administration system in particular.
There are at least five elements, or thematic areas, in assessing vulnerabilities
for corruption and land governance:
• How property rights to land (for groups or individuals) are defined
and enforced, and how these rights can be exchanged or transformed
to support the wider objectives of economic growth and social equity
• How land is managed, how land use plans and regulations are prepared
and implemented, and how land is taxed
• What is classed as state land and how it is managed, acquired, and allocated
to private use
• What is the nature and quality of property ownership information
available to the public and how easy it is to access or modify
• How land disputes are resolved and conflict over land is managed.