Land and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Land and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Join our webcast with Lorenzo Casaburi, UBS Foundation Associate Professor of Development Economics, to learn more about the impact of development economics.
Population pressure, urbanization, and climate change are causing major changes in land policies and land markets across Sub-Saharan Africa. These changes have implications for land use, economic development, and social stability. New research approaches, including analysis of large-scale administrative data and experimental trials, can shed light on these dynamics. In this webcast, Prof. Casaburi presents recent research on land tenure systems in Uganda and rural land rental markets in Kenya and discusses how the results can inform actions to ensure safe and productive land access.
Live from the UZH Studios, we reviewed recent economic research on the topic and took questions from the audience via Mentimeter. The host was Matthias Ammann, Managing Director of the UBS Center.
This was a public event with free access via livestream on our website in association with the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
Join our webcast with Lorenzo Casaburi, UBS Foundation Associate Professor of Development Economics, to learn more about the impact of development economics.
Population pressure, urbanization, and climate change are causing major changes in land policies and land markets across Sub-Saharan Africa. These changes have implications for land use, economic development, and social stability. New research approaches, including analysis of large-scale administrative data and experimental trials, can shed light on these dynamics. In this webcast, Prof. Casaburi presents recent research on land tenure systems in Uganda and rural land rental markets in Kenya and discusses how the results can inform actions to ensure safe and productive land access.

Lorenzo Casaburi is the UBS Foundation Associate Professor of Development Economics (with tenure) in the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on agricultural finance, competition, and land markets His work has been supported by several funders, including the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2019 and ERC Consolidator Grant 2025), the Swiss National Science Foundation, USAID, and DFID. Lorenzo serves as an Associate Editor for Econometrica and The Economic Journal and is a member of the BREAD Board of Directors. He is also a Research Fellow at BREAD, CEPR, IGC, IPA, and J-PAL. He received his B.A. from the University of Bologna and his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. Before joining the University of Zurich, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
Dr. Matthias Ammann stiess im September 2020 als COO zum UBS Center. Zuvor war er von 2017 bis 2020 Fellow bei Avenir Suisse, wo er sich auf die Bildungspolitik und das Potenzial der Digitalisierung für Regierung und Verwaltung konzentrierte. Nach seinem Studium in International Affairs and Governance sowie International Management an der Universität St. Gallen und der Copenhagen Business School promovierte er an der Universität St. Gallen.
Lorenzo Casaburi is the UBS Foundation Associate Professor of Development Economics (with tenure) in the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on agricultural finance, competition, and land markets His work has been supported by several funders, including the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2019 and ERC Consolidator Grant 2025), the Swiss National Science Foundation, USAID, and DFID. Lorenzo serves as an Associate Editor for Econometrica and The Economic Journal and is a member of the BREAD Board of Directors. He is also a Research Fellow at BREAD, CEPR, IGC, IPA, and J-PAL. He received his B.A. from the University of Bologna and his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. Before joining the University of Zurich, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
Dr. Matthias Ammann stiess im September 2020 als COO zum UBS Center. Zuvor war er von 2017 bis 2020 Fellow bei Avenir Suisse, wo er sich auf die Bildungspolitik und das Potenzial der Digitalisierung für Regierung und Verwaltung konzentrierte. Nach seinem Studium in International Affairs and Governance sowie International Management an der Universität St. Gallen und der Copenhagen Business School promovierte er an der Universität St. Gallen.