ABSTRACT
Land is one of the fundamental factors of production, and it is vital for economic and social well-being. Land governance is crucial for sustainable land resource utilization. A sound land administration system broadly contributes to the establishment of good land governance and thus tenure security and an efficient land market. 75% of the world population, however, do not have access to the proper land administration functions. As a result, their rights to the land resources are not visible in legal frameworks. One of the key issues in establishing a land administration system is the cost that is incurred in maintaining high standards and associated technical and professional costs.
This chapter focuses on the key aspects of introducing a fit-for-purpose approach to the land administration system in Sri Lanka. It reviews the literature associated with the fit-for-purpose approach to determine the guiding principles. The land issues associated with land administration functions in Sri Lanka have also been studied to determine the role of the fit-for-purpose approach in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, it evaluates the existing proposal of re-engineering the land administration system of Sri Lanka against the principles of fit-for-purpose and came up with a novel approach for re-engineering the land administration system in Sri Lanka.
