Land reform

Land reform (also agrarian reform although that can have a broader meaning) is the government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of — i.e. transfer of ownership of (or tenure in) — agricultural land. The term most often refers to transfer from ownership by a relatively small number of wealthy (or noble) owners with extensive land holdings (e.g. plantations, large ranches, or agribusiness plots) to individual or collective ownership by those who work the land. Such transfer of ownership may be with or without consent or compensation; compensation may vary from token amounts to the full value of the land. The land value tax is a moderate version of land reform.

The philosophy behind land reform

Philosophically there are strong arguments to justify land reform: Multiple legal titles to the same land decrease its usefulness, some of the titles may have been obtained through theft (sometimes aided by control of the legal system), the greatest good for the most people, a right to dignity, or a simple belief that justice requires a policy of "land to the tiller". However, many of these arguments conflict with prevailing notions of property rights in most societies and states. Except to minarchists, state facilitation of "willing seller, willing buyer" transactions is relatively unproblematic, but other forms of land reform generally raise questions about a society's conception of rights and of the proper role of government.

Related Topics:
The greatest good for the most people - Dignity - Minarchists

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These questions include:

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• Is private property of any sort legitimate?
• If so, is land ownership legitimate?
• If so, are historic property rights in this particular state and society legitimate?
• Even if property rights are legitimate, do they protect absolutely against expropriation, or do they merely entitle the property owner to partial or complete compensation?
• How should property rights be weighed against rights to life and liberty?
• Who should adjudicate land ownership disputes?
• At what level of government is common land owned?
• What constitutes fair land reform?