The mystery of capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa: women, property rights and customary law.

摘要

This article traces two impediments to the clear definition of property rights in the African context: customary law and the status of rural women. Both of these issues interfere with the attempt of African countries to rearticulate property law with the goal of capital formation. New laws designed to formalize informal property rights must give attention to both customary law and women's property rights. But constructive attempts to define property rights must address the problem of enforcement in under-resourced environments where changes may not be welcomed.