Overview

This stream applies and extends political science theories of political bargaining over distributive policy in territorially-fragmented polities marked by high levels of inter-regional inequality (especially Rogers 2016 and Beramendi 2007, 2011).

We develop and empirically explore the argument that fundamental policy choices facing African countries today, with land titling policy and devolution policies as dramatic examples, (a) can be expected to have strong distributive and redistributive effects across subnational regions, (b) generate clear patterns of regional support for and resistance to these policy initiatives, and that (c) these are largely predicted by cross-regional economic and political inequalities -- that is, heterogeneity in endowment, agrarian production systems, local state capacity, and alignment with the center.

Publications

Journal Articles:
Boone, C. 2018. "Shifting Visions of Property under Competing Political Regimes: Changing Uses of Côte d'Ivoire's 1998 Land Law," Journal of Modern African Studies, 56/2: 189-216. [link]

Boone, C. 2019. "Legal empowerment of the poor through property rights reform: Tensions and trade-offs of land registration and titling in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 55/3:  384-400. [link]

Catherine Boone and Brice Bado, Aristide Mah Dion, Zibo Irigo. 2021. "Push, Pull, and Push-back to Land Certification: Regional dynamics in pilot certification projects in Côte d'Ivoire," Journal of Modern African Studies 59/3. (open access) [link]


Chapter:
Boone, C. 2019.  "Land-Related Conflict and Electoral Politics in Africa," In Oxford Encyclopedia of African Politics. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.758. [link]
 
Working Paper:
​Catherine Boone and Brice Bado, Aristide Mah Dion, Zibo Irigo. "Push, Pull, and Push-back to Land Certification: Regional dynamics in pilot certification projects in Côte d'Ivoire," LSE Dept. of International Development Working Paper, March 2020. [English] [en français]

Blogs:
Carolin Dieterle, "What Land Governance in Uganda can teach us about #PublicAuthority," LSE Africa Blog, 16 July 2018. [link]
​
Catherine Boone, Irigo Zibo, and Aristide Dion, "Regional dynamics and complexities of land certification in Côte d’Ivoire," LSE Africa Blog, 27 Sept. 2019. [link]
 
Catherine Boone, "Do Socio-Economic cleavages matter for development in African countries?" Blog, University of Manchester, GDI, Effective States and Inclusive Development Program blog, 12 Nov. 2019. [link]

Arthur Awor and Carolin Dieterle, "Customary land claims are at stake in northern Uganda," LSE Africa Blog, 7 Apr. 2020. [link] 

Master's Theses:
Dion, Aristide Mah. (2019). Processus de Certification Foncière et Accès Equitable des Jeunes de la Sous-Préfecture de Gbouguhé à la Terre (Unpublished master's thesis). CERAP, Centre de Recherches et d'Action pour la Paix (Institution Universitaire Jésuite), Cocody, Blvd. Mermoz, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. [link to title page]

Irigo, Zibo. (2019). Certification Foncière et Securisation des Droits Fonciers​ des Femmes dans Les Departements d'Agboville et de Daloa (Côte d'Ivoire) (Unpublished master's thesis). CERAP, Centre de Recherches et d'Action pour la Paix (Institution Universitaire Jésuite), Cocody, Blvd. Mermoz, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. [link to title page]