Benin

A land formalisation programme in Benin significantly increased the likelihood that widows – especially those without a son – remained in their villages, offering formal institutional protection where customary norms left women most vulnerable.

The persistence of patriarchal clan-based orders around the world is a serious hindrance to development not least because they constrain women’s emancipation. Drawing on varied empirical evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, we argue that women’s convers...

Leonard Wantchekon’s journey demonstrates how activism, rigorous scholarship, and institution-building can work together to strengthen democracy, rebuild trust, and promote locally led development across Africa.

Experimental results find that formalisation of customary landholdings and land rights reduced tree cover loss in rural areas of Benin

Providing information and assistance to informal firms increases formalisation, but the cost of the intervention is likely prohibitively high