Land Tenancy and Surplus Distribution on Tanah Bengkok in Rural Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Tanah Bengkok in rural Java, Indonesia, is a unique institution wherein elected village heads receive usufruct rights to parcels of land owned by the village in lieu of salary. Despite its relevance to the political economy of land distribution in Java, the unavailability of systematic data has constrained in-depth empirical research on bengkok land. In 2018, we surveyed 130 villages and more than 1,800 households in Java. We found substantial heterogeneity in the incidence and usage patterns of bengkok land across and within villages. We also observed variations in contract parameters of sharecropping or fixed rental between bengkok and private plots, with no clear pattern favoring tenants or otherwise. Our estimates of the surplus distribution between bengkok landlords and tenants under sharecropping or fixed rental show no clear pattern either. By contrast, the characteristics of tenants significantly differ between fixed rental tenants and sharecroppers (on average, sharecroppers are poorer), and this contrast is more evident on bengkok plots than on private land.