Cadasters, Asset Tangibility, and Growth

IMF Working Papers, February 27, 2026

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Cadasters—records of land and property ownership—constitute an important pillar of a country’s institutional landscape by enabling the assignment of property rights.
The paper examines the impact of cadasters on long-term economic growth by identifying a specific channel in this link: asset tangibility.
Hypothesis: the more a firm’s assets are tangible, the more relevant cadasters become.

Uses a cross-country dataset on cadasters together with granular data from industry panels over the last six decades.
Analysis focuses on industry-level variation in asset tangibility to identify the channel through which cadasters affect growth.

The development of cadasters fosters long-term growth, particularly in industries with high asset tangibility.
Higher investment in industries with high asset tangibility, resulting from stronger cadasters, contributes to the observed growth pattern.
The growth impact of cadasters is more pronounced in:
- countries that lack strong cadasters, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa; and
- countries with typically more investment-conducive legal systems.
The findings suggest that cadastral reforms can help stimulate investment and sustain long-term growth in many developing economies.

Cadastral reforms are a policy lever to stimulate investment, especially in industries with high asset tangibility.
Priority for cadastral development may be particularly high in regions and countries with weak existing cadasters, including Sub-Saharan Africa.
Complementary improvements in legal systems that are investment-conducive can amplify the growth benefits of cadasters.

Source: IMF Working Papers — "Cadasters, Asset Tangibility, and Growth" by Can Sever, February 27, 2026.