In India, land policies have been undergoing a paradigm shift since the economic reforms of the early 1990s. Conclusive land titling or guaranteed title to land has emerged as an alternative policy option to the redistributive land reform agenda before economic liberalization, and marks a historic reorientation of land policy. Land Reforms to Land Titling: Emerging Paradigms of Land Governance in India studies this reorientation.

Would the neoliberal policy of secure individual property rights in land address diverse land-related questions in India? Whose interests will a conclusive titling policy serve, given unequal land holdings? How are capitalist or market imperatives of efficiency and growth bypassing social concerns? This book addresses these and other important questions through an in-depth study of not only India’s land governance history but also the experiences of other developing countries. The book also talks about policy implications and will be an invaluable read for academics and policymakers alike.