A quantitative analysis of Zimbabwe's land reform policy: An application of Zimbabwe SAM multipliers

Abstract

This study was designed to quantitatively investigate the economy-wide impact of land reform policies in Zimbabwe. Land reforms came with the realm of independence in Zimbabwe. Four models were used to implement the reform policies. The paper uses the updated 1991 Social Accounting Matrix for Zimbabwe and the Central Statistics Office's household data on resettled families in Zimbabwe. The paper computes the sectoral SAM multipliers and then uses household data on resettled families to simulate the impact of specific land reform models on the economy. The simulated results show that land reform, if well planned and systematically and carefully implemented, could generate economy-wide benefits for Zimbabwe and could lead to income redistribution in favour of low-income household groups, while maintaining an increase in households' aggregate income.