Paper short abstract:

This paper looks at the impact of titling and electrification on rural livelihoods in four regions of Tanzania (Manyara, Mbeya, Dodoma and Kigoma) across two waves of sampling (2027 households in Wave 1; 761 households in Wave 2) conducted between 2010-2021.

Paper long abstract:

According to the World Bank, by 2050 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. Fragmentation of rural land holdings, subdivided for distribution to new generations, means smaller holdings, less viable livelihoods and increasing rural-urban migration. The European Union, World Bank, USAID and other donors have spent enormous amounts on rural land titling in an effort to increase rural land values and markets, increase land security, and improve rural livelihoods. In addition, governments, seeking to fulfill commitments to SDG 7 ensuring energy access for all, are extending national electric grids throughout rural areas also in the interest of improving rural livelihoods. This paper looks at the impact of titling and electrification on rural livelihoods in four regions of Tanzania (Manyara, Mbeya, Dodoma and Kigoma) across two waves of sampling (2027 households in Wave 1; 761 households in Wave 2) conducted between 2010-2021. We find that electricity connectivity increased greatly in our study villages over time, growing from 4.6 percent of Wave 1 households to 43.5 percent of Wave 2 households. In contrast, titling had reached 6.6 percent of Wave One households, increasing only slightly to 10 percent of Wave 2 households. We examine whether electricity connectivity and titling, given other variables, correlate with higher income. We also consider whether increased income across the two waves is related to gain in connectivity and gain in titling. The findings shed light on the benefits (or lack thereof) of investments in titling and energy access for rural residents.