Development practitioners of all persuasion recognize that a well-functioning land sector can boost a country’s economic growth, foster social development, shield the rights of vulnerable groups and help with environmental protection. Improving practices requires an objective assessment of the land governance setting, and the identification of priority areas where improvements may be needed. The assessment should also highlight good practices and their transferability across countries.
Therefore, the Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) is developed by the World Bank and its partners.

The LGAF provides a holistic diagnostic review at the country level that can inform policy dialogue in a clear and targeted manner. This quick and innovative tool to monitor land governance is built around five main areas for policy intervention: rights recognition and enforcement; land use planning, land management, and taxation; management of public land; public provision of land information; and dispute resolution and conflict management. The LGAF helps policymakers and other stakeholders to make sense of the technical levels of the land sector, benchmark governance, prioritize reforms in the land sector and identify areas that require further attention.

The LGAF process is guided by a framework of 21 land governance indicators in the 5 key areas listed above, each divided into 3-4 dimensions for which rankings are assigned by expert panels based on pre-coded answers (on a scale from A to D) that draw on global experience. Through a consensual and participatory assessment by local experts of this core set of indicators, the LGAF serves to map out key information on land governance and define actionable paths for policy interventions, all in a contextualized and country-driven manner. Implementation takes place in a number of discrete steps that are overseen by a local coordinator, a well-respected and impartial person with extensive knowledge of the sector.

The Land Governance Assessment Framework: Identifying and Monitoring Good Practice in the Land Sector
Klaus Deininger, Harris Selod and Tony Burns, November 2011

This book presents the LGAF tool and includes detailed case studies on its implementation in five selected countries: Peru, the Kyrgyz Republic, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Tanzania. Experience shows also that the use of a consistent framework facilitates transfer of good practice across countries.

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