Many of the countries of the Pacific region (including Australia and New Zealand) have a British colonial legacy. This history has had wide implications for the development of the region: economically, politically and socially. The cadastral (property based) systems in theses countries have been influenced by British land conveyance and registration practices, and by colonial history. To date, ...

As the end of the 20 century grows nearer, South Africans find themselves entering the postMandela era. Five years after the first democratic government was elected in South Africa, the euphoria of transformation and reconciliation has receded. In its place has come the hard reality that the social and spatial impacts of colonialism and apartheid run very deep. Since the transfer of power in Ju...

Given the year on year decrease of rural farmland and various forms of land degradation through the intrusion of non-farm land uses, the government of Bangladesh has drafted the agrarian reform strategies, primarily to protect the agricultural land from encroachment, conversion, and indiscriminate use. The draft Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Bill since its inception in 2011 is facin...

In 2002, Austria has reformed its severance pay legislation. In the new system (Abfertigung Neu) individual savings accounts are managed by so-called employee provision funds (“Mitarbeitervorsorgekassen”). The system is funded by employers via a monthly untaxed payment of 1.53 % of gross wages. Accumulated entitlements rest in the employee’s account until retirement, unless the work contract ha...

This paper was prepared under contract with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The positions and opinions presented are those of the authors alone and are not intended to represent the views of FAO. This study highlights lessons from recent policy, law and practice to improve and secure access to rural land for poorer groups. It focuses on Africa, Latin America a...