Pressure from Above, Below and Both Directions: The Politics of Land Reform in South Africa, Brazil and Zimbabwe.

This paper examined sources of demands for land reforms and their conduct in Brazil, South Africa and Zimbabwe as respective examples of pressures for such reforms set into motion by forces from below, above and both directions. Differences in the political structures, choices of strategy and the coalitions formed around the reform processes in all three countries are predictive of the various outcomes. While the land reform process in South Africa is found to be less contentiousness than the other two, it is arguably less redistributive. Several arguments are made. The twin outcomes of redistribution and less-contentiousness are hardly, simultaneously attainable and a balance needs to be struck between them but understanding how this balance is struck entails an appreciation of the directional force pushing for land reforms. If the only goal is redistribution, undemocratic governments can do an equally good job of land reforms as democratic governments because the former oftentimes does not respect the rule of law and, as such, does not hesitate to wrest property away from landowners, which effective land reforms might sometimes require. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]