Latin America and the Caribbean

Research Activities

BELIZE

In May and June 1995, LTC provided a legal assessment of constraints in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) land titling initiative, specifically in conversion from leasehold to freehold titles, and conversion from deeds registry to certificate of title systems to a title-based system.

BOLIVIA

LTC collaborated with the Ministry of Sustainable Development in Bolivia to organize a technical workshop for members of the government on modernization of legislation in property law, and registries and cadastres. In January 1995 LTC undertook a synthesis review of the Popular Participation Law in Bolivia. This review summarized and assessed the new legislation as implemented in order to draw regional lessons from the experiment.

LTC Publications about Bolivia

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)

The use of spatial information technologies is radically changing land registration and land information processes worldwide. It is critical that policymakers understand enough about the technology and its components to make informed choices for their clients and constituents. Over the last year, LTC and UW-Madison have initiated a comprehensive effort for integrating spatial information technologies and land and natural resource tenure.

In August 1995, LTC joined with USAID, IDB, and others to organize a demonstration of new approaches to land administration. The workshop took place in Trinidad and Tobago, where an LTC methodology has already been embraced by the government. The purpose of the conference was (1) to organize a demonstration for regional government of new technologies including GPS, for reducing transactions costs in survey and titling of property; and (2) to discuss registry modernization strategies for the Deeds Registry in Trinidad. The new approach was adopted for Belize and Trinidad, and is likely to be approved for Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica.

GUYANA

LTC continues to participate in the drafting of reforms of the Deeds Registry and the Department of Lands and Surveys as part of Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) efforts. In September 1995, LTC led a planning retreat for Deeds Registry staff and held discussion with the government to advance registry modernization. The workshop featured international experience in reform, but the focus was on the intellectual braintrust already resident in-country, with efforts to tap this source to re-engineer the way geographic information is handled.

This activity comes on the heels of earlier LTC work which directly influenced agriculture sector financing from IDB. In April 1995, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, LTC drafted Action Plans for implementing IDB conditionality in four areas: (i) removal of legal constraints to granting titles to land in the registry system, (ii) conversion from leasehold to freehold, (iii) raising rents toward market rates, and (iv) strengthening and restructuring of the Lands and Surveys Department into a semi-autonomous entity. LTC also drafted for legal opinion for IDB regarding increased land rents in Guyana (July 1995), which enabled IDB to advise on the legal feasibility of increasing rents.

LTC Publications about Guyana

NICARAGUA

• Gender Equity and Joint Titling in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Indonesia (2001-2002)

• Land Market Liberalization and the Land Access of the Rural Poor: Lessons from Recent Reforms in Central America (1999-2001)

LTC Publications about Nicaragua

PERU

LTC was contracted by GTZ to provide a review of the titling and registration methodology used by the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima. The assessment, undertaken in March 1995, includes a description of the registration system set up by the ILD, a comparison with the traditional registration system, its ties with other institutions and organizations, and its strengths and weaknesses. This activity was carried out by Lastarria and Grenville Barnes. The report was published as LTC Research Paper 131 in 1999.

LTC Publications about Peru

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

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