Rural land reforms in Colombia: Policy and institutional challenges for the new administration

Abstract

The implementation of the provisions of the Final Peace Accord on land should have furnished an unprecedented opportunity for Colombia to overcome traditional obstacles to the effective enforcement of reforms to secure land tenure, provide access to vulnerable groups and realize the productive potential of the Colombian countryside. However, two years later achievements in this field are minimal. While most of the academic discussions are still focused on the tension between ideological positions about the extent of private property rights, this paper will look into some of the policy and institutional challenges faced by the Administration that took office on August 2018. The lack of a strong land policy and institutional frameworks has limited the impact of the implementation of previous reforms and may also impair the reforms pursued by the new Administration. The challenges remain significant and, as this paper asserts, unless they are properly addressed, the risk of another frustrated reform will remain high.