In China, where collectives own farmland but farmers may hold "use rights" to the land, a case can be made for a property rights system with incomplete security of tenure but with strong transfer rights, which permit "specialization without regret"-- so farmers can recoup the value of an...

This paper examines whether agricultural insurance can boost investment by small scale farmers in West Africa. It is based on a randomized evaluation designed to analyze the impacts of index insurance for cotton farmers in Burkina Faso. No impact of insurance was found on cotton, but, consistent...

In China, where collectives own farmland but farmers may hold use rights to the land, a case can be made for a property rights system with incomplete security of tenure but with strong transfer rights, which permit specialization without regret - so farmers can recoup the value of an investment...