Investor Survey on Land Rights Research and Sampling Design (Final)

The purpose of this voluntary investor survey is to document and analyze perceptions and practices of investors regarding risks related to land tenure and property rights. The project aims to produce data and analysis for use by US and other global investors, donors such as USAID, civil society, and governments. The survey focuses on US companies and investors with land-based projects, covering topics such as basic organizational information, perceived importance of land and resource rights in making investment decisions, companies' approaches to measuring land tenure and resource-related risks, and risk mitigation strategies for issues related to land and resource rights. The survey also includes case studies of successful land-based investments and perceived benefits among companies/investors from the survey results. Existing databases related to land tenure and resource rights focus on cataloguing information related to geographic area under various forms of tenure and land transactions. However, no comparable dataset exists on investor perceptions of tenure risks and mitigation measures. Global data on elements affecting tenure risks are scarce, likely because aggregating variables spatially is complex and costly. Quantitative project-level information and investor perceptions are largely missing from existing datasets. The Investor Survey on Land Rights aims to fill this knowledge gap by collecting data on investor perceptions of tenure risks and mitigation measures. The survey design takes into account the confidentiality of information and situations that respondents may be hesitant to disclose, such as financial or other quantitative information. Data management and information security approaches ensure that the final responses are presented anonymously and analyzed in aggregate form only. The survey scope is broad, covering various aspects of land tenure and resource rights. The project team proposes sampling methodology and data collection methods with justification for their selection. The survey design is intended to be replicable, with the first version of the survey referred to as the First Biannual Investor Survey on Land Rights. The survey will include as many US companies and investors as possible, maximize the number of respondents, ensure feasibility and efficiency, and consider future replicability. The project team aims to produce a dataset that will provide context- or site-specific data for private sector investors, advising them on potential land-based investments. The survey results will be presented anonymously and analyzed in aggregate form only, ensuring the confidentiality of information provided by respondents. The survey will cover various topics, including basic organizational information, perceived importance of land and resource rights, companies' approaches to measuring land tenure and resource-related risks, and risk mitigation strategies for issues related to land and resource rights. The survey will also include case studies of successful land-based investments and perceived benefits among companies/investors from the survey results. The project team proposes a sampling methodology that will ensure the representativeness of the sample and the feasibility of the survey. The data collection methods will include online surveys, phone interviews, and in-person interviews, depending on the preferences of the respondents. The survey will be conducted in multiple languages to ensure that respondents from different countries and regions can participate. The survey results will be analyzed using statistical methods to identify trends and patterns in investor perceptions of tenure risks and mitigation measures. The results will be presented in a report that will provide insights into the current state of land tenure and resource rights in the US and globally. The report will also provide recommendations for investors, donors, and governments on how to address the challenges related to land tenure and resource rights. The project team aims to complete the survey within a specified timeframe, with the results being presented in a report that will be available to the public. The survey will be conducted in multiple phases, with the first phase focusing on data collection and the second phase focusing on data analysis and reporting. The project team will work closely with stakeholders to ensure that the survey results are accurate, reliable, and useful for decision-making purposes.