Economic effects of land reforms in Taiwan, Japan, and mainland China : a comparative study

The effects of land reform on input utilization (shifting of the production function due to scale problems and changes in incentives) are analyzed. Effects on the quantities of inputs devoted to farm production are analyzed. Effects on consumption of peasants and the economy in total are also analyzed. It is concluded that there is no clearcut indication that land reform is always capable of raising the production function of agriculture. As a matter of fact, all three countries studied showed a decline in productivity of aggregate input immediately after the land tenure changes. Favorable or unfavorable impact depends on the general level of income and the stage of growth in the country in which the land reform is conducted.