Right to stay? Long-run experimental evidence on land formalization and widows’ tenure security in Benin
基于贝宁农村随机对照试验数据，研究发现土地正规化项目显著提高了寡妇（尤其是无男性继承人的寡妇）在丈夫去世后继续居住在原住所的可能性，机制是增强了社区对妇女土地权利的认可和妇女的决策权。
In many parts of the world, women’s land rights remain informal, leaving widows – especially those without a male heir – at high risk of losing access to their land and homes when their husbands die. We study whether large-scale land formalization programs can improve widows’ tenure security, using data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Benin. Four years after the intervention, widows in villages with land formalization were significantly more likely to remain in their homes, with the strongest effects among those without a male heir. We identify two key mechanisms: increased community recognition of women’s land rights and greater decision-making power over land resources. These findings highlight the potential of land formalization to strengthen women’s tenure security and promote their long-term economic stability in similar settings.