Publication: An Assessment of Customary Tenure Systems in the Lao PDR
Date
2022
ISSN
Published
2022
Author(s)
Hackman, Richard
Abstract
The history of land rights in the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), hereafter referred
to as Laos, is a history of customary land tenure systems
which remain the most prevalent form of land tenure. As
social systems, land tenure systems in Laos have been
affected by and have adapted to external forces such as
neighboring kingdoms, colonialization, geopolitics and war,
migration, and global economic trends. Ongoing rapid changes
in national socioeconomic conditions and domestic political
goals continue to alter the customary tenure landscape.
Customary tenure systems have responded differently to
changes, but the predominant direction is a transition
towards formalization that provide varying levels of
recognition and protection of land rights. As this
transition occurs, a mixed customary-statutory tenure mosaic
has emerged across the mountains and plains of Laos. Within
this mosaic, the level of tenure security differs. Due to a
lack of formal recognition, the most insecure tenure is land
held fully under customary tenure. This desk-based
assessment considers the culture and ethnicity of customary
tenure systems, their prevalence in the country, general
typologies found in Laos, customary tenure systems in
transition, and past efforts to formalize customary land rights.
Citation
“Hackman, Richard. 2022. An Assessment of Customary Tenure Systems in the Lao PDR. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/38190 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”