Untying the Land Knot

Untying the Land Knot PDF

Author: Xiaofang Shen

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2012-06-06

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 082138970X

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Access to well-secured, well-zoned and well-serviced land is a crucial condition for industrial and commercial investment. In many developing countries, where the land market remains underdeveloped and the land governance framework is weak, systemic policy and institutional reforms are needed to bring security, efficiency and transparency to the process of business access to land. Land policy reform is challenging, politically, institutionally and technically. It must balance business, social and environmental imperatives to succeed. Empirical evidence suggests that a pragmatic approach taking one step at a time with prioritized targets while keeping the long-term objectives in sight helps mitigate risks, speed up the investment process, and bring economic benefits to broad population. These successful first steps can also prepare the path for more comprehensive reforms.

Land Law in African Countries

Land Law in African Countries PDF

Author: Oleg Igorevich Krassov

Publisher: XSPO

Published:

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 5001562554

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The monograph studies the key aspects of land law of African countries, customary land tenure laws, customary rights to water, forest, cattle grazing; the influence of colonial epoch on customary land tenure systems, and the rights of African women to land. Characteristic features of land and water rights under Islamic law are provided. The current state of formal land law in the countries of North, West, Central, and East Africa is analyzed, including the following: the right of ownership to land and other natural resources, types of various rights to land and natural resources, and the relationship of formal law and customary land tenure systems. For students, graduate students and teachers of law schools, employees of legislative, executive and judicial authorities, as well as for all those interested in land, civil law and comparative legal studies.

African Land Reform Under Economic Liberalisation

African Land Reform Under Economic Liberalisation PDF

Author: Shinichi Takeuchi

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-10-10

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 9811647259

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This open access book offers unique in-depth, comprehensive, and comparative analyses of the motivations, context, and outcomes of recent land reforms in Africa. Whereas a considerable number of land reforms have been carried out by African governments since the 1990s, no systematic analysis on their meaning has so far been conducted. In the age of land reform, Africa has seen drastic rural changes. Analysing the relationship between those reforms and change, the chapters in this book reveal not only their socio-economic outcomes, such as accelerated marketisation of land, but also their political outcomes, which have often been contrasting. Countries such as Rwanda and Mozambique have utilised land reform to strengthen state control over land, but other countries, such as Ghana and Zambia, have seen the rise in power of traditional chiefs in managing the land. The comparative perspective of this book clarifies new features of African social changes, which are carefully investigated by area experts. Providing new perspectives on recent land reform, this book will have a considerable impact on scholars as well as policymakers.

Confronting Land and Property Problems for Peace

Confronting Land and Property Problems for Peace PDF

Author: Shinichi Takeuchi

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-05

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1135007349

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This collection clarifies the background of land and property problems in conflict-affected settings, and explores appropriate policy measures for peace-building. While land and property problems exist in any society, they can be particularly exacerbated in conflict-affected settings – characterized by unstable security, weak governance, loss of proper documentation as well as the return of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. Unless these problems are properly addressed, they can destabilize fragile political order and hinder economic recovery. Although tackling land and property problems is an important challenge for peace-building, it has been relatively neglected in recent debates about liberal peace-building as a result of the strong focus on state-level institution building, such as security sector reforms and transitional justice. Using rich original data from eight conflict-affected countries, this book examines the topic from the viewpoint of State-society relationship. In contrast to previous literature, this volume analyses land and property problems in conflict-afflicted areas from a long-term perspective of state-building and economic development, rather than concentrating only on the immediate aftermath of the conflict. The long-term perspective enables not only an understanding of the root causes of the property problems in conflict-affected countries, but also elaboration of effective policy measures for peace. Contributors are area specialists and the eight case study countries have been carefully selected for comparative study. The collection applies a common framework to a diverse group of countries – South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Colombia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis PDF

Author: Paul Vallely

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-08-01

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1472903722

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From his first appearance on a Vatican balcony Pope Francis proved himself a Pope of Surprises. With a series of potent gestures, history's first Jesuit pope declared a mission to restore authenticity and integrity to a Catholic Church bedevilled by sex abuse and secrecy, intrigue and in-fighting, ambition and arrogance. He declared it should be 'a poor Church, for the poor'. But there is a hidden past to this modest man with the winning smile. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was previously a bitterly divisive figure. His decade as leader of Argentina's Jesuits left the religious order deeply split. And his behaviour during Argentina's Dirty War, when military death squads snatched innocent people from the streets, raised serious questions – on which this book casts new light. Yet something dramatic then happened to Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He underwent an extraordinary transformation. After a time of exile he re-emerged having turned from a conservative authoritarian into a humble friend of the poor – and became Bishop of the Slums, making enemies among Argentina's political classes in the process. For Pope Francis – Untying the Knots, Paul Vallely travelled to Argentina and Rome to meet Bergoglio's intimates over the last four decades. His book charts a remarkable journey. It reveals what changed the man who was to become Pope Francis – from a reactionary into the revolutionary who is unnerving Rome's clerical careerists with the extent of his behind-the-scenes changes. In this perceptive portrait Paul Vallely offers both new evidence and penetrating insights into the kind of pope Francis could become.

The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race

The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race PDF

Author: Carl Anthony

Publisher: New Village Press

Published: 2017-10-10

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1613320213

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This book by Carl C. Anthony offers a new story about race and place intended to bridge long-standing racial divides. The long-ignored history of African-American contributions to American infrastructure and the modern economic system is placed in the larger context of the birth of the universe and the evolution of humanity in Africa. The author interweaves personal experiences as an architect/planner, environmentalist, and black American with urban history, racial justice, cosmology, and the challenge of healing the environmental and social damage that threatens the future of humankind. Thoughtful writing about race, urban planning, and environmental and social equity is sparked by stories of life as an African American child in post-World War II Philadelphia, a student and civil rights activist in 1960s Harlem, a traveling student of West African architecture and culture, and a pioneering environmental justice advocate in Berkeley and New York. This book will appeal to everyone troubled by racism and searching for solutions, including individuals exploring their identity and activists eager to democratize power and advance equitable policies in historically marginalized communities. This is a rich, insightful encounter with an American urbanist with a uniquely expansive perspective on human origins, who sets forth what he calls an "inclusive vision for a shared planetary future."

Experimental Legislation in China between Efficiency and Legality

Experimental Legislation in China between Efficiency and Legality PDF

Author: Madeleine Martinek

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-05-21

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 3319776169

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This book analyzes the benefits of and legal concerns in connection with the delegated legislation of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone as a prime example of experimental legislation in Chinese law. It offers solutions for improving the legal design of experimental regulations in Special Economic Zones by striking a balance between the pursuit of rapid socio-economic progress on the one hand, and the increasing need and will to govern by the rule of law on the other. The book offers a valuable guide for the academic community and legal practitioners, as well as students eager to gain insights into Chinese constitutional law and the conflict between legality and achieving reforms.

Cities in the Sky

Cities in the Sky PDF

Author: Jason M. Barr

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2024-05-14

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1982174234

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From one of the world’s top experts on the economics of skyscrapers—a fascinating account of the ever-growing quest for super tall buildings across the globe. The world’s skyscrapers have brought us awe and wonder, and yet they remain controversial—for their high costs, shadows, and overt grandiosity. But, decade by decade, they keep getting higher and higher. What is driving this global building spree of epic proportions? In Cities in the Sky, author Jason Barr explains all: why they appeal to cities and nations, how they get financed, why they succeed economically, and how they change a city’s skyline and enable the world’s greatest metropolises to thrive in the 21st century. From the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) to the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) and everywhere in between, Barr explains the unique architectural and engineering efforts that led to the creation of each. Along the way, Barr visits and unpacks some surprising myths about the earliest skyscrapers and the growth of American skylines after World War II, which incorporated a new suite of technologies that spread to the rest of the world in the 1990s. Barr also explores why London banned skyscrapers at the end of the 19th century but then embraced them in the 21st and explains how Hong Kong created the densest cluster of skyscrapers on the planet. Also covered is the dramatic result of China’s “skyscraper fever” and then on to the Arabian Peninsula to see what drove Dubai to build the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which at 2,717 feet, is higher than the new One World Trade Center in New York by three football fields. Filled with fascinating details for urbanists, architecture buffs, and urban design enthusiasts alike, Cities in the Sky addresses the good, bad, and ugly for cities that have embraced vertical skylines and offers us a glimpse to the future to see whether cities around the world will continue their journey ever upwards.