Conditions of Successful Land Reform: A Study of Micronesia

During the twentieth century Japan and the United States attempted land reform in Micronesia. Japan was more successful because a growing population had led to an increasing demand for agricultural products, which could only be met by expanding agriculture across its empire. This required investment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian economic history review 2016-11, Vol.56 (3), p.292-316
Main Authors: Yoo, Dongwoo, Harris, Edwyna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
centralised ownership verification
citizen identification
Economic history
Japan
K11
Land economics
Land reform
land registration
Micronesia
N97
O21
Ownership
Studies
United States
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Summary:During the twentieth century Japan and the United States attempted land reform in Micronesia. Japan was more successful because a growing population had led to an increasing demand for agricultural products, which could only be met by expanding agriculture across its empire. This required investment in land reform to transfer ownership from common to private rights. Conversely, the Americans faced no such domestic pressures, valuing Micronesia only for its strategic location and military testing. We formulate a model to examine the outcomes of Micronesian land reform under the long‐sighted policy of the Japanese compared with short‐sighted approach of the Americans.
ISSN:0004-8992
1467-8446
2832-157X
DOI:10.1111/aehr.12091