Capitalizing on Digital Transformation to Enhance the Effectiveness of Property Institutions - Conceptual Background and Evidence from 85 Countries
Klaus Deininger, Thea Hilhorst, Jaap Zevenbergen, Emmanuel Nkurunziza
Property registries have long been a pillar of state capacity
and a basis for private market activity. While registry
establishment and operation traditionally were costly and
time consuming, digital technology makes low-cost registry
operation and wide outreach easier. To guide developing
countries aiming to establish such registries and measure
progress, this paper develops indicators (in terms of digital
coverage, interoperability, and property taxation for local
service delivery and public land management) of effective
digital registry service provision. Data from 85 countries
highlight vast differences and provide suggestions for strategic
reforms as well as a basis for measuring progress over
time. Expanding geographical coverage and collecting
these indicators on a regular basis could provide guidance
to improve the way in which, by protecting property, the
state creates the basis for widely shared prosperity and a
livable environment.
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