Land Lines April 2007
The Challenge of Slum Formation in the Developing World
A flourishing informal market already provides housing alternatives for both poor and middle-class families in many cities where access to land is constrained in the urban core and is held privately in the fringe areas.
Property Taxation in Anglophone Africa
A well-functioning property tax system could offer many benefits to the nations of sub-Saharan Africa. A dependable and locally administered source of revenue would greatly benefit local democracy and economic development.
Social Conflict Over Property Rights
In the United States, this conflict is tied to the emergence of the so-called property rights movement. This coalition argues that attempts at the management and restriction of private property are un-American, inefficient, and ultimately ineffective.
This issue looks at the ubiquity of slums and informal land markets in developing nations across Latin America, Asia, and Africa; the need for a well-functioning property tax system in the Anglophone regions of Africa; and social conflicts associated with North America’s property rights movement.