Browsing by Author "De Vries, Walter"

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    Are urban land tenure regulations in Namibia the solution or the problem?
    (Taylor & Francis, 2009) De Vries, Walter; Lewis, Joe
    Land tenure in Namibia is regulated by a variety of Acts, some of which date back to as far as 1937, and some of which are yet to be approved by Cabinet. This variety of Acts makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of land administration as a whole, and the appropriateness of coercive instruments with regards to urban land tenure in particular. In this article we evaluate how urban land tenure regularization practices are conducted in Namibia, and to compare new formal procedures, designed to address problems of efficiency and efficacy, to older existing procedures, supposedly not efficient or effective. This evaluation uses a theoretical framework of (Pritchett and Woolcock, 2004) , which deals with public service delivery and transaction-intensive services. Applying this framework for a comparative analysis of 5 different land subdivision practices – each relying on a different land-related act - we conclude that the degree of regulation and regularization is perhaps not so much a solution for urban land tenure problems but perhaps more of a problem in itself.
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    The cost of land registration: A case study of cost efficiency in Namibia.
    (Taylor & Francis, 2003) De Vries, Walter; Lewis, Joe; Georgiadou, Y.
    In the light of the global discussion on reducing public and private expenditure on cadastral processes and services, this article reviews the transaction costs of land registration, based on data gathered in Namibia. The data show a large differentiation in the types of costs incurred in the process, as well as various levels of cost recovery. In addition, the degree to which delays in the operational registration processes influence the total cost to land developers and landowners is reviewed.