Property Rights and Political Engagement

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Property Rights and Political Engagement Legitimizing the State or a Grievance?: Property Rights and Political Engagement Jacob Kopas Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2019 c 2019 Jacob Kopas All rights reserved ABSTRACT Legitimizing the State or a Grievance?: Property Rights and Political Engagement Jacob Kopas Can a right, as an abstract yet powerful symbol of a legitimate claim, influence individual political behavior independent of the underlying entitlement the right represents? Or are rights merely rhetorical proxies for distributional struggles? This dissertation examines whether the for- mal recognition of a right|in particular, a formal property right to land|can empower political engagement. I construct a theoretical framework for how legal property rights influence political behavior around two central claims. First, I argue that legal rights have an impact that goes be- yond expectations of economic value or tenure security. Legal rights are powerful symbols that also legitimize claim-making and empower rights-bearers to engage in politics. In this sense, legal rights not only provide the rights-bearer with a material entitlement (i.e. an increase in economic value or material endowment), but also a political entitlement in the form of a greater legitimacy in demands for protection and benefits from the state. This increased sense of legitimacy, in turn, can spill over to influence political behavior more generally by incentivizing political participation and claim-making. I refer to this mechanism as the \symbolic effect" of rights. My second claim is that this empowering, symbolic effect is strongest where property pro- tections are weakest and underlying rights most vulnerable. Specifically, this occurs when the state is either unable to provide adequate guarantees or unwilling to enforce rights as a matter of course. Under such conditions, rights help define just claim-making and legitimate grievances, thus incentivizing greater political engagement. I construct my theory and provide an initial test of derived hypotheses by relying on expe- riences with rural titling programs benefiting small-holder peasant farmers in Peru and Colombia. Land titling differs from traditional land reform policies, in that it attempts merely to formalize the existing tenure regime, and hence does not otherwise impact the distribution of landholding. This provides a unique moment to examine the effect of a change in legal rights that is distinct from changes in underlying assets or benefits. In essence, we can focus specifically on what impact the \right" itself has, while keeping the actual distribution of property relatively constant. In addition to recognizing important rights to land for thousands of peasant farmers, these programs also provided a significant moment of interaction with central state authorities. As a result, titling provides not only a new material connection to the state|in the form of a full, legal title|but also a symbolic connection through the rights and privileges promised in those documents. I draw on three sources of data to provide empirical support for my theory. First, I provide a historical summary of access to rural land and legal property rights in Peru and Colombia over the 20th and early 21st Centuries, highlighting the importance of legal property rights for shaping rural conflict and claim-making by peasants. The second source of data is from a series of semi-structured interviews with peasant, smallholding farmers in rural areas of Peru and Colombia. Through these interviews, I attempt to understand the meaning peasants place on legal titles, experiences with land titling, and local practices for regulating private land and participating in rural village politics. Third, I use original, panel data of titling through the now-defunct Colombian Institute of Rural Development (INCODER, Instituto Colombiano de Desarrollo Rural) from 2000-2015, and in Peru through the first two waves of massive land titling in the Rural Land Titling and Registration Project (Proyecto de Titulaci´ony Registro de Tierras Rurales, PTRT) from 1996-2007. I find evidence that changes in legal rights are associated with increases in voter turnout, use of courts, and willingness to engage in politics, but only in areas with weak state institutions. Conversely, in areas with strong state institutions where titling likely increases tenure security, for- malized property rights either produce no change or are associated with a reduction in engagement. These findings support my theory that legal rights exert a \symbolic effect" on behavior, which can lead to counter-intuitive results as formal rights promote engagement most where rights are otherwise weak or ineffectively protected. This evidence highlights the non-material effects of legal rights|an impact that is often over- looked by most political economy scholars who typically understand property rights as synonymous with property tenure (i.e. the expectation of extracting value from property). Instead, I focus on the \right" itself as a moral claim to protection and special consideration by the state. This shift in perspective can broaden our understanding of property rights by explaining how legal rights can influence behavior and convey meaning even when they do not otherwise change material benefits. Contents List of Figures iv List of Tables v 1. Introduction 1 1.1. The Symbolic Effect of Rights...............................6 1.2. Rights, Property, and Political Engagement....................... 10 1.3. Case Selection: Peru and Colombia............................ 20 1.4. Overview of the Dissertation............................... 22 2. Theory: Legal Rights, Just Claims, and Citizenship 24 2.1. Introduction......................................... 25 2.2. Rights, Citizenship, and Political Engagement...................... 27 2.2.1. Property Rights as Civil Rights.......................... 27 2.2.2. Political Engagement................................ 29 2.3. The Symbolic Effect of Rights............................... 30 2.3.1. The Symbolic and Material Effects of Rights.................. 30 2.3.2. Rights, Citizenship, and Political Legitimacy.................. 31 2.3.3. State Recognition of Rights............................ 35 2.4. Rights and Legitimate Grievances............................. 37 2.4.1. Expectations of Enforcement........................... 41 2.5. The Material Effect of Rights............................... 45 2.6. Research Design...................................... 48 2.6.1. Land Titling as Rights-Recognition........................ 48 2.7. Multi-method design.................................... 50 2.8. Scope Conditions...................................... 52 2.9. Conclusion......................................... 53 3. Land and Rights in 20th Century Rural Peru and Colombia 55 3.1. Introduction......................................... 56 3.2. Land Tenure and Land Reform in Peru.......................... 59 3.2.1. Rural Armed Conflict in Peru........................... 67 3.2.2. Formality of Tenure and Land Titling in Peru.................. 68 i 3.3. Land Tenure and Land Reform in Colombia....................... 71 3.3.1. Armed Conflict in Colombia's Countryside................... 77 3.3.2. Formality of Tenure and Land Titling in Colombia............... 82 3.4. Formal Rights and Land Conflict in Peru and Colombia................ 85 3.4.1. Legal Rights and Peasant Land Claims..................... 86 3.4.2. State Recognition of Property Rights....................... 91 3.5. Conclusion......................................... 93 4. Accessing Citizenship: Legal Titles and Smallholding Peasants 95 4.1. Introduction......................................... 96 4.2. Land Titling in Peru and Colombia............................ 99 4.3. Presentation of Cases and Methodology......................... 108 4.4. State Presence....................................... 115 4.4.1. State Presence in Nari~no, Colombia....................... 116 4.4.2. State Presence in Ancash,´ Peru.......................... 118 4.5. Land and Political Participation in the Countryside.................. 121 4.5.1. Access to land................................... 122 4.5.2. Participation.................................... 126 4.5.3. Land Disputes................................... 128 4.6. Legal Rights|Accessing the State and Citizenship................... 130 4.7. State and Non-State Property Rights........................... 136 4.8. Conclusion......................................... 141 5. Legitimate Grievances: Legal Property Rights and Political Engagement 143 5.1. Introduction......................................... 144 5.2. Theoretical Predictions and Hypotheses......................... 146 5.3. Methodology and Data................................... 148 5.3.1. Land Titling.................................... 148 5.3.2. Political Engagement................................ 154 5.3.3. Enforcement.................................... 154 5.3.4. Estimation Technique............................... 158 5.4. Electoral Participation................................... 163 5.4.1. Results....................................... 165 5.5. Vote Share and Distributive Politics........................... 169 5.5.1. Results....................................... 171 5.6. Demand for Judicial Services............................... 175 5.6.1. Results....................................... 178 5.7. Self-Reported Survey Responses.............................
Recommended publications
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO the Taxation Tango: State Capacity in Argentina's Provinces a Dissertation Submitted in Pa
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Taxation Tango: State Capacity in Argentina’s Provinces A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Melissa Ziegler Rogers Committee in Charge: Mathew McCubbins, Co-Chair Peter Smith, Co-Chair Gary Cox Paul Drake Carlos Waisman 2010 Copyright Melissa Ziegler Rogers, 2010 All Rights Reserved The Dissertation of Melissa Ziegler Rogers is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Co-Chair Co-Chair University of California, San Diego 2010 iii DEDICATION Dissertations do not come easily or quickly. I appreciate the patience of my family, friends, and husband from whom I sought advice and support. I also thank them for helping me by editing drafts, offering constructive criticism, and taking care of business on the home front while I trekked through Argentina. My advisors have given me funding, opportunities for research and publication and invaluable guidance in my academic pursuits. I thank my parents most of all for pushing me to succeed in academia and for encouraging me at my most doubtful moments. They are my favorite people in the world and I only wish that my Mom were still in this world to celebrate with us. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ................................................................................................................... iii Dedication .........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • James F. Thrasher Education Current Positions & Affiliations
    JAMES F. THRASHER [email protected] (803)777-4862 EDUCATION PhD University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill May 2005 Health Behavior & Health Education School of Public Health MS State University of New York, Buffalo May 2000 Epidemiology MA State University of New York, Buffalo May 1994 Cultural Anthropology BA University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill May 1990 Psychology CURRENT POSITIONS & AFFILIATIONS Professor 2018-present Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior 915 Greene Street, Discovery I, Room 534D Arnold School of Public Health University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208 USA Deputy Director, Global Health Initiatives 2016-present Arnold School of Public Health University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA Researcher and Visiting Professor 2003-present Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública Av. Universidad #655, Col. Sta. Ma. Ahuacatitlán Cuernavaca, Morelos CP 62100 México Research Affiliate 2007-present Walker Institute of International and Area Studies University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA Research Affiliate 2008-present Center for Research in Nutrition & Health Disparities University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA JF THRASHER Faculty Affiliate 2008-present Prevention Research Center University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA Affiliate Researcher 2012- present Hollings Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention and Control Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA Adjunct Associate Professor 2012- present Department of Public Health & Health Systems University of Waterloo,
    [Show full text]
  • The Foreign Service Journal, June 1941
    VL AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE VOL. 18, NO. 6 JOURNAL JUNE, 1941 v. g ' V. '• .. ■ "-r» ■ t i. ¥• "-•#3 One of the greatest expansion programs in history —three huge plants at Buffalo, Columbus and St. Louis, in addition to present facilities—will speed Curtiss-Wright production of many types of military and naval aircraft. In the Buffalo plant alone, Curtiss is already build¬ ing 10 formidable pursuits a day for the U. S. Army Air Corps and Great Britain, in addition to other types for the Army and Navy. The total floor area of the airplane divisions is being expanded from approximately 1,000,000 sq. ft. to 4,700,000 sq. ft. — personnel from 13,000 to 45,000 — to give Curtiss-Wright unequalled facilities for airplane defense production. CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION AIRPLANE DIVISION, BUFFALO PLANTS CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION AIRPLANE DIVISION, COLUMBUS PLANT CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION AIRPLANE DIVISION, ST. LOUIS PLANT CONTENTS JUNE, 1941 Cover Picture: Line-up of medium tanks See page 325. The Mechanized Force in Warfare By Janies G. Simonds 305 History of the Consulate General at London By the late Percy R. Broemcl 309 Via Diplomatic Courier By Jane Wilson 312 Mediterranean View 314 Scenes in Iraq 316 Diplomatic Immunity? Exterritoriality By G. Bie Ravndal 318 Whether your car is travelling a Bur¬ mese jungle road or a boulevard in F.S.O. Training School 321 Buenos Aires, comprehensive automo¬ Editors’ Column 322 bile insurance is essential for security Retirement Legislation and peace of mind. There is personal effects insurance, too, and other usual News from the Department and unusual coverages for practically By Reginald P.
    [Show full text]
  • Moral Sentiments and Material Interests
    Moral Sentiments and Material Interests The Foundations of Cooperation in Economic Life edited by Herbert Gintis, Samuel Bowles, Robert Boyd, and Ernst Fehr The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England (V7(M) 24/2/05 16:13) MIT/U J-1147 Gintis AC1:(CKN)21/2/2005 Pal_L (0).27.02.04 (6"Â9") pp. i–xii FM_P (p. iii) ( 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any elec- tronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected] or write to Special Sales Department, The MIT Press, 5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Palatino on 3B2 by Asco Typesetters, Hong Kong, and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Moral sentiments and material interests : the foundations of cooperation in economic life / edited by Herbert Gintis . [et al.]. p. cm. — (Economic learning and social evolution ; 6) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-07252-1 (alk. paper) 1. Cooperation. 2. Game theory. 3. Economics—Sociological aspects. I. Gintis, Herbert. II. MIT Press series on economic learning and social evolution ; v. 6. HD2961.M657 2004 3300.0105193—dc22 2004055175 10987654321 (V7(M) 24/2/05 16:13) MIT/U J-1147 Gintis AC1:(CKN)21/2/2005 Pal_L (0).27.02.04 (6"Â9") pp.
    [Show full text]
  • DEPARTMENT of JUSTICE Robert F
    DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 20530, phone (202) 514–2000 http://www.usdoj.gov LORETTA E. LYNCH, Attorney General; born in Greensboro, NC, education: Harvard College, 1981; Harvard Law School, 1984; professional: Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of New York, 1990–1999; United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, 1999–2001, 2010–2015; partner with law firm of Hogan and Hartson L.L.P., 2002–2010; nominated by President Barack Obama to become the Attorney General of the United States on November 8, 2014 and was sworn in on April 27, 2015. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL RFK Main Justice Building, Room 5111, phone (202) 514–2001 Attorney General.—Loretta E. Lynch. Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General.—Sharon Werner, room 5115, 514– 3892. Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General.—Carolyn Pokorny, room 5112, 616–2372. Counselors to the Attorney General: Denise Cheung, room 5116, 305–7378; Eric Feigin, room 5119, 514–9798; Paige Herwig, room 5214, 305–8674; Channing Phillips, room 5224, 514–4969. White House Liaison and Counselor to the Attorney General.—Shirlethia Franklin, room 5110, 514–9665. Director of Advance.—Meki Bracken, room 5131, 514–6333. Special Assistant and Scheduler to the Attorney General.—Christina Sivret, room 5127, 514–4195. Confidential Assistant.—Bessie Meadows, room 5111, 514–2001. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL RFK Main Justice Building, Room 4111, phone (202) 514–2101 Deputy Attorney General.—Sally Quillian Yates, room 4111. Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.—Matthew S.
    [Show full text]