Land reform is a standard policy proposal for countries with
stagnant agricultural sectors. Knowledge of the ways and the extent to
which land reform affects economic development is limited. Conditions
which guarantee some success in the effective implementation of the
reforms are also not known. Koo's case study of Taiwanese land reforms
is an important step in narrowing the area of ignorance in both
directions. Taiwanese land reforms, initiated in 1949 and completed in
1953, were affected after fifty years of active government involvement
in providing for substantial overhead investments in the agricultural
sector. The colonial govern¬ment invested massively in land survey,
transportation system, irrigation, flood control and agricultural
extension. The ready availability of a reliable cadastral system was a
help in the quick and effective implementation of the reforms. The
adequacy of the economic infrastructure in the agricultural sector and
the extension services made tenants and new owners of land willing and
able to bene¬fit from the proper incentives provided by the land
reforms.
