2002/04/01 by Abhijit V. Banerjee, Paul Gertler, Maitreesh Ghatak · 559 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Social Sciences · #Land Rights and Reforms #Urban and Rural Development Challenges #South Asian Studies and Conflicts #Leasehold estate #West bengal #BENGAL #Empowerment #Economics #Business #Socioeconomics #Political science #Economic growth #Geography #Bay
paper · doi:10.1086/338744
published in Journal of Political Economy 110(2), 239-280 (University of Chicago Press)
openalex publication_date 2002/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The paper analyzes the effect of agricultural tenancy laws offering security of tenure to tenants and regulating the share of output that is paid as rent on farm productivity. Theoretically, the net impact of tenancy reform is shown to be a combination of two effects: a bargaining power effect and a security of tenure effect. Analysis of evidence on how contracts and productivity changed after a tenancy reform program was implemented in the Indian state of West Bengal in the late 1970s suggests that tenancy reform had a positive effect on agricultural productivity there.