ABSTRACT
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) policy concerning access to land and other assets has undergone substantial change over time. From the end of World War II through to the early 1960s, the United States promoted administratively determined land reform. In the 1980s, US foreign assistance shifted to emphasise macroeconomic policy reform and private enterprise development. Some USAID regional and country offices have had limited interest in programmes to strengthen property rights and the operations of land markets, and in others there has been substantial interest in these issues. Major problem in the Latin America and Caribbean region is that land markets remain highly segmented, with only limited access to land across social strata. The theoretical basis of much of the land titling effort has been the private benefits expected to flow from greater security of land tenure via the adjudication of titles.
