Abstract: Re-distributive policies are often used by governments to forestall conflict in both democratic and authoritarian regimes. This paper analyzes the evolution of rural conflict in a region of 1930s Spain in which fast transfers of land using temporal expropriations were aimed at reducing poverty and mitigate conflict. Using a subset of exogenous land transfers, we document that these temporal transfers of land did not reduce conflict. If anything, in some cases, they even increased some types of conflicts. Our evidence is consistent with two potential side effects of land reforms. Firstly, land reforms can boost the collective action of beneficiaries. Secondly, poorly designed land reforms can reduce the incomes of beneficiaries.

PDF