Tanzania’s New Wave Land Reform: a Matter of Institutionalisation

Although much attention has been paid to the issuance of land title deeds, Tanzania’s 1999 land reform’s most important contribution has been within land dispute settlement. This is the conclusion of a paper recently published in the book ‘Land Justice for Sustainable Peace in Tanzania’ by Rasmus Hundsbæk Pedersen.

By introducing the concept of institutionalization into the study of new wave land reforms the chapter demonstrates that successful implementation hinges on addressing the values and everyday problems and practices of villagers and village leaders. Reforming laws and institutions is not enough. The chapter is based on extensive fieldwork in rural areas in mainland Tanzania.

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