Land governance arrangements in operationalizing effective land administration systems: Prospects for evaluation approach

Abstract

Land administration (LA) is acknowledged to support evolving societal needs to land resources management. To do so, good land governance is a necessity for attaining effective LA. However, issues in land governance have been repeatedly reported in different literature. This study aims to contribute to development of an evaluation approach on land governance arrangements in operationalizing effective land administration systems (LASs). A review of frameworks on land governance and LA was made to identify features that relate good governance and effective LA. To build benchmarks for evaluation, country experiences on land governance arrangements in processes of LA were referred to. The constructs from linking elements in frameworks and the identified possible benchmarks derived three main elements for evaluation: the legal and institutional framework (inclusiveness of multiple interests to land), land management (transparency in handling issues to land), LAS (system serving the social welfare in a way sustaining the purpose behind the system development). Differences in land governance arrangements showed that they can play an impact in the process of operationalizing formal land administration services at a large scale. Despite the differences, what is expected from developing LASs to support formulated land policies may not be attained as a result of such differences in land governance arrangements. Similarities in persistent issues to land governance are identified, although operating under different arrangements to land governance. Hence, the study suggests that the evaluation approach should base on what comes out from operationalizing a LAS against the purpose of its development whatever land governance arrangement in place.