Land invasions and land reform in Basilicata, Italy: an evaluation of place-based policies

Abstract

The paper analyses the political economy that characterized the design and implementation of a particular place-based policy aimed at addressing wealth inequality, that is, land reform. It focuses on Basilicata in the Italian south, where massive land invasions took place between December 1949 and March 1950 in reaction to long-lasting and extreme inequality. The invading peasants were solicited and even coordinated by local Communist Party leaders. Empirical analysis shows that land invasions were driven not only by the concentration of land ownership but also by the strength of the Communist Party. Furthermore, towns that had experienced land invasions were more likely to be affected by the agrarian reform, and that this policy was more intense in those towns. The results are interpreted as evidence that land ownership was the object of a clear consolidation strategy by the Communist Party and of issue ownership competition with the subsequent implementation of land reform.