Legitimising Public Action by Digitising Urban Land: Social Perceptions and Popular Strategies of Resistance

Abstract

Urban land management is a major challenge in view of the rapid expansion of cities in general and African cities in particular. The introduction of digital technology in the management of cadastral and property affairs in Burkina Faso is seen as an alternative to securing land tenure. However, the introduction of such a policy measure disrupts the traditional levers of land-related social organisation. This raises the following questions: What are the societal implications of digitising the land register in Burkina Faso? What are the resistance strategies of people affected by the digitisation of urban land? To what extent does the digitisation of land ownership represent an instrument for legitimising political power and social control? This research is theoretically rooted in the sociological theories of the Chicago School of urban phenomena. Using a hypothetical-deductive anthropological approach, empirical data obtained from semi-structured interviews and direct observation were supplemented with documentary information. The results show, on the one hand, that digitisation of the land register represents an alternative way of preventing land disputes and conflicts, and helps to legitimise public action. On the other hand, the democratisation of land information affects social groups such as property developers, land brokers and certain institutional players. These affected populations adopt resistance strategies that are deemed unfavourable to the digitisation of land governance.