Enforcing New Property Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Ugandan Constitution and the 1998 Land Act

A convincing case has been made in both academic studies and policy circles for clearly defined private property rights as a means to economic development. Perhaps best characterized by the recent work of Hernando De Soto, well-defined private property rights are thought to be critical not just for economic growth, but also as tool to alleviate poverty. The argument that the poor have capital that need only be put to efficient use through the creation of institutional structures that will allow them to access it is compelling. De Soto\u27s work follows decades of policy advice provided by the international financial institutions - the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund - to developing countries regarding the privatization of property, both in agriculture and industry. The ideological agenda behind their reform advice has been neoliberalism. Reforms are designed to facilitate trade and integration into the world market. The focal point of De Soto\u27s work, in contrast, is poverty alleviation. Both perspectives suggest policy emphasizing well-defined private property rights that can be both exchanged and enforced