Objective
Land is the cornerstone of economic development for the vast majority of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa. It underpins agricultural livelihoods, secures household welfare, and serves as a vital resource for structural transformation. Historically, scholars argued that abundant land resources rendered land markets negligible, but this perspective is increasingly challenged by rapid population growth, urbanization, and climate change, which have intensified competition for land and revealed inefficiencies in existing systems.
Despite its importance, two persistent barriers hinder progress in the study of land markets in the region. First, there is limited causal evidence on how land market participation affects economic outcomes, as credibly identified policy reforms and field experiments are rare. Second, data availability continues to constrain analysis. While administrative datasets are now central to research in other domains, most studies on land markets rely on surveys, which are often limited in their granularity and scale.
This proposal presents a transformative research agenda to address these challenges by leveraging experimental methods and novel administrative data from East Africa. The research comprises four interlinked projects: (A) examining how tenant land buyouts influence productivity and welfare; (B) analyzing the spatial dynamics of land markets and the role of non-local actors in shaping transactions; (C) evaluating the impacts of rental market participation on renters; and (D) quantifying the enduring effects of colonial land tenure systems on contemporary economic outcomes.
By employing cutting-edge methodologies and novel data, this research will provide groundbreaking insights into the functioning of land markets. The findings will advance academic understanding and inform policies to address one of the most pressing and contentious issues in global development: the role of land markets in fostering inclusive economic growth.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- social sciences other social sciences development studies development economics
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.