Building Linkages for Restructuring of Rights to Land in Eastern Europe and the Former USSR Countries ("LANDLINK"): A Discussion Paper

Abstract

Major political and social change is occurring in Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. One central theme of this change is the creation of market oriented economies. A basic feature of market economies is the privatization of land ownership, i.e., placing real property in the hands of individual owners. While privatization is of crucial importance for the operation of land markets, the organizational and institutional arrangements for fluid and yet socially and environmentally sustainable land markets must be addressed as well. There are a variety of arrangements which have been tried in the countries which have experiemented with market oriented economies in the past. This paper proposes, for discussion purposes only, the creation of a technical assistance network to help assure that the these past experiences with the institutions of the real property markets are made available to those creating new institutions in the countries of Eastern