Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan

This book explores how private property institutions develop, are maintained, and their relationship to the state and state-building in Afghanistan, a predominantly rural society where citizens cannot rely on the state to enforce their claims to ownership. It contributes to the literature on property rights and state governance from the new institutional economics perspective.

Format: Hardback
Length: 380 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

While today's wealthiest nations often boast extensive histories of secure private property rights, legal-titling initiatives fail to significantly enhance the economic and political welfare of individuals in developing countries. This book employs a comprehensive historical narrative, encompassing secondary literature, fieldwork across thirty villages, and a nationally representative survey, to investigate the development, maintenance, and relationship of private property institutions with the state and state-building in the context of Afghanistan. In this predominantly rural society, citizens cannot rely on the state to enforce their ownership claims. Instead, they turn to community-based land registration, which boasts a long and stable history and is often more effective in safeguarding private property rights than state registration. Moreover, this book makes a substantial contribution to the literature on property rights and state governance from the new institutional economics perspective.

ISBN-13: 9781108493413