This is an original empirical and theoretical study of the use of law to secure land tenure in the face of poverty, urban and peri-urban growth and changing social structures.

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

'The essays in this collection make a vital contribution to our understanding of land tenure reform by testing de Soto's thesis at local level. Multidisciplinary in nature, it draws on expertise in history, law, geography and planning to provide rare empirical evidence of the land problems facing dwellers of peri-urban areas of the developing world.' - Social and Legal Studies, An International Journal 'The essays in this collection contain rich empirical evidence of the limits of de Soto's thesis. They offer a forceful critique of de Soto's work and the project for privatization of land in the developing world of which it is a part. ' - Ambreena Manji, University of Keele, UK