Survey Review “Understanding the Evolution of Land Administration Systems in Some Common Law Countries”

This paper will outline the evolution of western concepts of land and property, from the tribal period through feudalism, the industrial revolution, capitalism/socialism and the current Kenyesianism/Privatisation phase which leads into globalisation and other trends. Examples will be given of the interrelationship between socio-economic changes, the dynamics of the humankind to land relationship and the legal/administrative infrastructure. Such an understanding is considered essential as a basis for cadastral reform. The paper identifies some lessons on the development of land administration systems: 1. The relationship between humankind and land will always be dynamic and changes at different rates across countries and regions as a result of varying economic, social and environmental pressures. 2. The direction which that dynamism takes is dependent on the society’s priorities. The current western trend towards tempering economic imperatives and planning decisions with more community-based concerns such as the environment and native title, is likely to lead to a new direction for land administration. 3. Appropriate legal and administrative infrastructures are crucial to the process of delivering the changes demanded by society. These infrastructures include the social, legal, economic and political processes. 4. The extent to which a society can successfully achieve its objectives depends in part on the tools available to achieve those aims. “We have the technology” does not mean anything until our society determines its preferred relationship with land into the future.