Corruption in land ‘e-mutation‘ in Bangladesh

As the Government of Bangladesh moved towards a fully digitized land management system, e-mutation (mutations being records of changes of title) was the first step of this ambition, where citizens could apply for mutation services online.

But digitisation, while solving some administrative problems, can also create new challenges due to the plethora of informal mechanisms that exist in the system. Discrepancies in records in parallel systems of recording give rise to corruption at every stage of land transactions.

Our research hypothesis was that the existing process of repeated opportunities for contesting rights was a response to the real problem where the underlying rights are often overlapping and do not clearly establish a clear title. Some of the conflicts that are informally resolved through the process of repeated contestation and corruption may actually have a function in creating opportunities for negotiation given the underlying lack of clarity in land rights. It is necessary to understand the important drivers of these informal processes. Only then can a formal process be devised that addresses some of these underlying problems in a sustainable way that leads to improvements in equitable outcomes of contests over rights.

This project questioned the efficacy and implications of the official strategy of digitisation of the land record and land mutation system as a way of addressing the endemic corruption in the enforcement of land rights.

SOAS-ACE is currently undertaking research in Bangladesh and Nigeria, including in the education, health and power sectors, as well as on successful collective action that overthrew a corrupt autocracy. Moving beyond pure research, we are also monitoring the implementation of anti-corruption strategies our research has recommended, such as a strategy to reduce pharmaceutical companies’ overpricing of medicines.

Our partner on this project is BIGD – BRAC University.