Abstract
In many low- and middle-income countries, most urban land is held outside formal legal systems. This project reconceptualises property rights as socially constructed “rules-in-use” embedded in informal institutions. We develop and pilot a diagnostic survey instrument that disaggregates property rights, maps normative boundaries, and elicits social expectations shaping compliance and change. Fieldwork in Accra and Dar es Salaam will test these methods and explore the role of social norms in governing access, enforcement, and conflict resolution. The project advances empirical tools and theory to support more equitable and context-sensitive land policies.