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Download the file - United Nations Rule of Law

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ance against risks, access to informal credit,and security. Lineage rules <strong>of</strong> inheritance helpenforce intergenerational transfers. The threat<strong>of</strong> social exclusion is a major instrument <strong>of</strong>enforcement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rules. In o<strong>the</strong>r words, essentialfunctions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> property rights systemare fulfilled by customary systems and ought tobe legally reinforced. 873) Assuming high demand for formal entitlement,i.e. assuming that rural and remote landholdersfelt <strong>the</strong>ir rights to <strong>the</strong>ir house and farmplots are threatened or that <strong>the</strong>y explicitlywant to raise loans on <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> formal titlesto <strong>the</strong>se assets. 88 Paying insufficient attentionto <strong>the</strong> time and financial costs <strong>of</strong> titling,to both government and landholder. 89 In particularassuming that titling always has to becadastre-based and rest upon expensive surveyand mapping. 904) Assuming that titling is <strong>the</strong> precondition forproperty security when o<strong>the</strong>r measures <strong>of</strong>fermore immediate and simpler ways <strong>of</strong> securing<strong>the</strong> assets <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> poor, especially in remote ruralareas. Even in rural African contexts, whereindividual titling <strong>of</strong> land may not be desirableor feasible and <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> land as collateral forcredit is only a remote possibility, providingpoor land owners or users with documentedrights can yield significant benefits. 915) Failing to pay attention to pro-poor land marketdevelopment and failing to assess <strong>the</strong> impact<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> land market on <strong>the</strong> poor. 926) Failure to Simplify Land Administration for<strong>the</strong> Least Advantaged Customer. In manycountries, land administration functions aredispersed among many Ministries (justice,environment, agriculture, urban, finance, landreform, forest, mining, etc.). This createsgrey zones <strong>of</strong> overlapping competencies as abreeding ground for non-transparent practices.Even if responsibilities are clearly assignedand overlaps avoided, this creates confusionamong users, prevents realisation <strong>of</strong> economies<strong>of</strong> scale, and thus increases <strong>the</strong> cost <strong>of</strong>providing land administration services to <strong>the</strong>detriment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> poor. 937) Failing to Restrict Eminent Domain. Thereshould be a strict focus on using eminentdomain as ultima ratio in providing essentialpublic services ra<strong>the</strong>r than as a means toimprove general public utility. The latter promotesillegitimate alliances <strong>of</strong> state ownershipand powerful particular interest and severelydamages <strong>the</strong> property rights <strong>of</strong> marginal landusers by excluding <strong>the</strong>m from adequate compensationor inclusion in chains <strong>of</strong> value additionthrough property development.8) Insufficient Revenue Sharing in Gains fromNatural Resources. There has been lack <strong>of</strong> attentionto <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> community basednatural resource management in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong>forests, fishery, and water. There has beeninsufficient participation <strong>of</strong> citizens in <strong>the</strong>revenues from <strong>the</strong> extraction, treatment, anddistribution <strong>of</strong> natural resources.Experienced Consequences1) Enduring extra-legality <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> assetholders despite existing property systems andtitling programmes is a persisting phenomenon.It is due to imperfect implementationin some cases but in many o<strong>the</strong>r settings it is<strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> a mismatch <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial institutionsand local practices.2) Disruption <strong>of</strong> Existing Tenurial Arrangements.Careless implementation <strong>of</strong> formal documentationmay have <strong>the</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> inadvertentlydisrupting existing tenurial arrangements.84

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