Land allocation in subsistence economies and intra-familial time-use decisions

Arbeitspapier

Classical household theory predicts that adolescents facing a developed labour market should invest in formal education. In contrast, it is obvious that adolescents in subsistence economies should choose learning-by-doing approaches to working on the family farm. However, it is unclear what determines optimal education choices among societies in transition from subsistence to labour-market integration. While education is generally the basic condition to enter the labour market, access to land represents an important asset in subsistence farming. This paper argues that intra-household time use and education - that is, time spent learning outside the family farm - is influenced by the way land is transferred from one generation to the next. We use a dichotomous approach assuming that land is either transferred by bequest or by a formal land board. These two methods represent the extremes of a scale that considers personal relations and reliance on certified abilities as the basis for land allocation. This paper provides a theoretical analysis of how anticipated bequests and asset transfers from other sources influence trade-offs between work on the family farm and other time-use options. We discuss the effects using a case study from the Okavango.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: MAGKS Joint Discussion Paper Series in Economics ; No. 51-2014

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡ ; Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets ; Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment ; Renewable Resources and Conservation: Demand and Supply; Prices ; Renewable Resources and Conservation: Land
• Subject: Land allocation ; inheritance rules ; subsistence ; intra-household decision making ; intergenerational property transfer ; education

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Azebaze, Nadege Miclanche ; Falk, Thomas ; Korn, Evelyn
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Philipps-University Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
• (where): Marburg
• (when): 2014

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/105078
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET