Village Fairness Norms and Land-Rental Markets

B-Tier
Journal: World Bank Economic Review
Year: 2024
Volume: 38
Issue: 4
Pages: 796-823

Authors (5)

Kwabena Krah (not in RePEc) Annemie Maertens (not in RePEc) Wezi Mhango (not in RePEc) Hope Michelson (University of Illinois at Urba...) Vesall Nourani (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.402 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper documents the role of village fairness norms in land markets. A strong and robust relationship is established between experimentally elicited village-level fairness norms and land-rental rates across 250 Malawian villages. Stronger fairness norms correlate with a tighter range in village rental rates. The study suggests that the fairness norms for tenants appear to be more important, constraining the land-rental price range by a price ceiling rather than a price floor. The results further indicate that rented-in fields are of lower agronomic quality than owner-cultivated fields, but do not find any statistically significant relationship between the fairness norms and land-rental activity in the village.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:wbecrv:v:38:y:2024:i:4:p:796-823.
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-26