5th International Land Management Conference, 3-4 March 2026

Politics and economics of land governance

Conference Themes

While land governance frameworks and institutions need to evolve to meet changing economic, social and environmental goals, from economic development and poverty alleviation to climate and disaster risk resilience, they are bounded by and rooted in existing political and economic realities. Lasting transformation requires understanding of the wide range of socio-cultural, political and economic factors that influence how land is supplied, used, administered, managed, governed, and of how land markets operate. In any given context, these factors are informed by a range of economic and political interests, power dynamics, institutional characteristics and ideological perspectives.

Practitioners engaged in land governance reforms have long been aware of the political and economic nature of their work and the importance of considering political economy. A growing field of research on the political economy of land explores the factors that shape why approaches to land governance succeed or fail within given contexts. Land governance grounded in analysis of political economy has the potential to enable increasingly inclusive, equitable, economically productive and environmentally sustainable pathways to development. There is much more to be done to agree on approaches, methods and tools that support economically effective and politically realistic reform of land governance.

The 2026 5^th International Land Management Conference builds on these understandings with a call that highlights work that engages with and yields insight on the political economy of land governance under 4 interrelated themes:

Theme 1: Improving understanding of the political economy factors that influence land governance

We seek to explore how analysis of political, economic and social factors impacting land governance can improve practice. We are interested in identifying evidence on topics such as land governance reforms that pave the way for long lasting changes.

Theme 2: Power and agency in land governance

Engagement of a variety of stakeholders is important to increase agency, transparency, participation, equity and ultimately the sustainability of land governance. Thus, we seek to explore examples of how analysis of political economy can help identify and address the underlying tensions perpetuating exclusive land governance.

Theme 3: Widening perspectives for land governance

Isolating land governance interventions from broader developmental and climate goals can frustrate effective land governance. Integrated approaches that consider the broader political economy can lead to improved land governance and wider developmental progress. We welcome case studies and research exploring these perspectives.

Theme 4: Changing approaches to the economics and financing of land governance

Traditionally, assessments of financial value and anticipated returns help to shape the economic and political interests in and commitment to land governance reform. However, there is increasing attention to the need for adaptation and sustainability considerations due to acute issues around food and energy security, climate change and disaster management. A more balance economic outlook would recognise the value of land in preserving biodiversity, sustaining natural capital and supporting diverse land uses. This session welcomes papers that explore how changing value systems and priorities are impacting the economics and financing for land governance.

Hybrid Format

This year thanks to the generosity of UK International Development and RICS we are going hybrid on 3rd March 2026. On that day sessions will be held at RICS Head Quarters at 12 Great George St, London SW1P 3AD and streamed on-line. 4th March 2026 will be fully on-line.

Abstract Submission

To submit please fill up the Abstract submission form.

Registration

To register please fill up the Conference registration form.

Conference Agenda

Conference Agenda will be published in mid February 2026.

Book of Abstracts

Book of Abstracts will be published after the conference.

Presentations and Recordings

Presentations and Recordings will be published after the conference. Please note that you have to be logged in to view the materials. You can create a free account under the following link: LINK Registration.

Organizing Committee

Prof. Jessica Lamond

Professor in Real Estate and Climate Risk; College Dean of Research and Enterprise, College of Arts, Technology and Environment, UWE Bristol

Jessica is currently Professor in Real Estate and Climate Risk at the University of the West of England and co-Director of the centre for Architecture and Built Environment at UWE, Bristol. Her research interests include the fields of flood and climate risk management, real estate, land and property valuation and land management and she has recently led projects for a wide variety of funders including EPSRC, DFID, Defra, RICS and Flood Re. Jessica led the land planning and management of the DFID funded Urbanisation Research Nigeria research programme which spanned land planning and registration, climate resilience, municipal service delivery and valuation of urban development. At LINK Jessica is responsible for the Research stream. If you are interested, please e-mail jessica.lamond@uwe.ac.uk, visit Jessica’s UWE page or visit our Research page.

Dr Robin Bloch

Urban Development and Planning Specialist, Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Robin Bloch is an urban planner who specialises in spatial and land use planning and management at all territorial scales, in local economic and industrial development, and in environmental management, sustainability and urban resilience, with emphasis on flood risk management. He has a 35-year planning career with experience from over 30 countries across four continents, leading diverse teams for the majority of multilateral and bilateral development partners. These teams have worked with a wide range of counterparts and stakeholders at municipal, regional and national government levels, as well as those within the private and community sectors. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.

Dr Grazyna Wiejak-Roy

Senior Lecturer in Urban Economics and Real Estate, UWE Bristol

Grazyna is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Economics and Real Estate at the School of Architecture and Environment at the University of the West of England. Her research is on investment strategies, transaction risk, real estate market idiosyncrasies and land management. She carries nearly 20 years of experience in real estate consultancy gained at EY, PwC, and KPMG in the UK, Europe and Australia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Valuation Surveyor, RICS assessor, member of the UK South West Regional Board and past member of RICS governing bodies in Poland and Australia, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Vice-President Europe of CASLE and Trustee of Aubrey Barker Fund. She holds PhD in Real Estate, MA in Economics, MSc in Property Appraisal and Management and PGCert in Academic Practice. At LINK Grazyna is responsible for the Education and Professional Development stream. If you are interested, please e-mail grazyna.wiejak-roy@uwe.ac.uk or visit our Education Page.

Niki Palmer

Political Economist, Land Facility’s Decision Support Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, UK

Niki provides political economy advice to the Decision Support Unit of the Land Facility, an innovative UK programme supporting land governance globally. She has 25 years of experience in international development, spanning programming, research and policy roles in conflict affected and fragile contexts including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and the occupied Palestinian territory. She is a specialist in political economy analysis, which she has applied to many issues related to land governance including climate change adaptation and resilience, disaster risk management, social protection, and land and environmental rights. Niki is also a Principal at The Policy Practice, where she is part of the training team for a short online course, Political Economy Analysis for Climate Action.

James Kavanagh

Director of Land and Resources, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

James, MRICS C.Geog is a Chartered Surveyor & Chartered Geographer. James is head of Land & Resources with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. James is chair of the International Land Standard (ILMS) Coalition, Secretary General of CASLE (Commonwealth Association of Surveyors and Land Economists) and vice chair of FIG Commission 9. James is working on further research, insight, and standards on issues of valuation within informal settlements, on customary land issues, land acquisition and compensation, and the process of land and property rights formalisation.

Esther Obaikol

Land Governance Expert

A Ugandan lawyer with thirty-one (31) years of accumulated work experience in with twenty (20) years in leadership positions at national, regional, and global levels. Esther has twenty-six (26) years’ experience in land governance, twenty-one (21) years in piloting innovations in gender, land, and tenure security, sixteen (16) years’ experience in organizational development & management, partnership, and network building; and five (5) years’ experience in environmental governance focusing on legal and social research, monitoring and evaluation, and policy advocacy. Esther currently works as the Deputy Team Leader/Gender and Institutional reform Specialist for Land Equity International’s Land and Gender Project in Maseru Lesotho as well as the Gender and Land Lead in the FCDO’s Decision Support Unit to the Land Facility.

Geoffrey Payne

Geoffrey Payne & Associates, UK

Geoffrey Payne is a housing and urban development consultant with more than five decades of experience covering all regions of the world. His consultancy, Geoffrey Payne and Associates has undertaken research, consultancy and capacity building assignments for the World Bank, UN-Habitat and other international development agencies, governments and academic institutions. He has published widely and his latest book (‘Somewhere to Live: Rising to the global urban land and housing challenge’, Practical Action Publishing, 2022) addresses these issues in the context of increasing inequality and the climate crisis.