Pro-poor land tenure and democratic governance. Discussion paper No. 3.Oslo: Oslo Governance Centre.

This discussion paper provides a review of how different forms of land tenure reform relate to decentralization and local governance, in theory and practice. It will guide readers who are familiar with decentralization and local governance approaches to understand the main issues and challenges posed by land tenure reforms to achieve pro-poor impact. Because land tenure reform assigns control over resources that are critical for both identity and livelihood, it will be contentious. It is, therefore, important to distinguish among four different types of land tenure reform and critically assess the political economy context and the type of decentralization as well as national-local governance relationships in which land tenure reform will be implemented. It is equally important to understand the implications of various land tenure reform types for democratic governance and social inclusion / cohesion

The Subak in Diaspora: Balinese Farmers and the Subak in South Sulawesi

The subak has a long history as an irrigators’ institution on Bali. It has also spread across Indonesia along with Balinese farmers who were resettled by colonial and post-colonial governments or who have migrated spontaneously since colonial times. While subaks have been much researched in Bali itself, little is known about subaks outside Bali. Luwu District in South Sulawesi is one of the areas where thousands of Balinese families settled in the last four decades. Based on research in this transmigration area, this paper analyzes the emergence and development of the subak in relation to the development of irrigation infrastructure of a state-built irrigation system. A comparison between two Balinese settlements in the same system shows that differences in infrastructural and managerial conditions and arrangements between parts of the irrigation system were major determinants of the institutional space allowed for the subak and ways in which the subaks developed

Water Rights for the Landless in Western India: From Pani Panchayat to Water Entitlements

Cet article compare deux tentatives de séparer les droits des eaux du droit à la terre qui ont été entreprises dans l’Etat de Maharashtra en Inde occidentale lors des 25 dernières années : le Pani Panchayat qui a commencé pendant les années 1980 d’une part, et la mise en œuvre actuelle de réformes concernant la gestion de l’eau promouvant explicitement le droit à l’eau, de l’autre. La mesure dans laquelle ces initiatives ont facilité le droit à l’eau des pauvres sans terre est liée au différents discours sur le développement sous-jacents associés avec ces deux processus. Ceux-ci expliquent aussi les différences quant au rôle de l’Etat ainsi que la législation promulguée dans les deux cas de figure. L’article se conclut par un appel pour une action politique immédiate prenant avantage de l’espace offert par les processus de formalisation du droit à l’eau afin d’intervenir activement en faveur des pauvres sans terre.European Journal of Development Research (2009) 21, 195–212. doi:10.1057/ejdr.2008.19