Major Determinant of Physical Development on Urban Residential Land: The Case of Kalulushi Municipality in Zambia | Land Portal
Determinants

Resource information

Date of publication: 
June 2017
Resource Language: 
ISBN / Resource ID: 
ISSN 2324-8033E-ISSN 2324-8041
Pages: 
12
License of the resource: 

 

The debate on "property" as opposed to "possession" has grown in institutional economics literature. In the real estate development context this can be extended to examining the question on what the major determinant of commencement of physical development (or 'house starts') is between 'property' and 'possession' in the minds of residential allotees on urban land. For land acquired through extra-legal mechanisms, economists, such as Hermandode Soto, have argued that lack of title impedes physical development in urban areas. What about on land acquired through legal means? This study examined this question by conceptualising land grants through the public land allocation system as having two distinct parts, possession, that is grants still at offer letter stage and property, constituting grants where legal title in the form of certificates of titlehave been registered. The observation in Zambia is that physical development commences with or without certificates of title, that is, mostly at possession stage. This study finds that contrary to conventional literature, titling is not the immediate concern for most allotees on public land. The first concern is development of the plot then followed by title. A number of reasons account for this and are explained in this paper. Thus the study hypothesised that although in the long run legal title is essential, possession is more important for the commencement of physical development in most developing countries such as Zambia.

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Ephraim Kabunda Munshifwa,
Wilson Ngoma,
Ikugile Makenja

Publisher(s): 
IJSSS

International Journal of Social Science Studies journal encourages and publishes research and studies in the field of Anthropology, Archaeology, Area Studies, Communication Studies, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Cultural and Ethnic Studies, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Management, Philosophy,Political Science, Psychology, Sociology.


This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

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