The Financialization of Land Conflicts: Macroeconomic Vulnerabilities and Agrarian Structure Disciplining in Peripheral Economies

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-772-9_16How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Land financialization; agrarian structure; macroeconomic vulnerability; peripheral economies

Abstract

The growing integration of financial markets into land governance systems has fundamentally altered the nature of agrarian disputes, transforming what were once localized conflicts into broader macroeconomic concerns. Despite the increasing relevance of this phenomenon, the processes through which financialization intensifies land-related conflicts and contributes to economic instability remain insufficiently explored within existing theoretical frameworks. This study examines the influence of financial mechanisms—including land-backed financial assets, speculative land accumulation, and commodity-based financial instruments—on land governance in peripheral economies, with particular attention to their role in generating economic vulnerabilities and reshaping agrarian structures. The research further argues that unless financial instruments are effectively separated from disputed or contested land assets through appropriate regulatory mechanisms, peripheral economies may experience increasingly severe cycles of land dispossession, rural inequality, and fiscal stress. In light of these findings, several policy measures are proposed, including the introduction of taxes on land-related financial transactions, the establishment of creditor accountability mechanisms for damages arising from dispute-related investments, and the implementation of agrarian debt-relief initiatives designed to protect vulnerable rural communities. Such interventions may help reduce systemic risks while promoting more equitable and sustainable land governance outcomes. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design comprising a survey of 418 respondents and qualitative interviews was adopted.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - S. Ayyappan
AU  - Hanumantharaya
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/07
TI  - The Financialization of Land Conflicts: Macroeconomic Vulnerabilities and Agrarian Structure Disciplining in Peripheral Economies
BT  - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Innovations and Challenges in Financial Technology (ICICFT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 195
EP  - 207
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-772-9_16
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-772-9_16
ID  - Ayyappan2026
ER  -