Emergence of a New Analytical Concept

We can observe changes in the concepts used in scientific studies on man – land relations. During the last twenty years, a new branch of economic theory has been developed which deals with institutions. On the basis of new-classical theory, the ‘New Institutional Economics’ attempt to provide a better explanation of institutions than had been possible in the past. As man – land relations are institutionalized relations, this new approach is very relevant for the analysis of land tenure. The most relevant NIE concepts (institutions, property rights, contract and agency relationships, transaction costs and power) fit very well to aspects of man – land relations. It is, therefore, no wonder that quite a bit of the research work employing NIE deals with topics such as sharecropping, hired agricultural labour, cooperatives, horizontal and vertical integration, etc. These studies have provided new insights and made important contributions for explaining institutions. We can certainly anticipate more progress in the future.

 

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