I am so happy that Rouba Wehbe completed her PhD, which is such an original, rich and astute work, despite at some points a bit technical. Here is the abstract of the thesis:

Abstract

This research aimed to examine two mutations of land tenure in the classical market: insecure and inert land tenure. It examined the types of rent capture mechanisms that occur in each and how they interact with the dominant rent gap mechanism of the classic market. The main finding was that land tenure insecurity and inertia have led to a segmented social and legal embeddedness of the land and housing market, a submarket. The rent capture mechanism in such a submarket is explained by the emergence of a minor rent gap according to higher and better use, in parallel to the highest and best use of the classic market rent gap. In an inert land tenure, an affordable housing submarket emerges after intermediaries invest in disinvested private and public properties. This alters the classical rent gap mechanism and leads to de-gentrification type of urban change. Conversely, insecure tenure results in a property submarket developing based on speculation by intermediaries on the legally unprotected investments of owners. Under these conditions, intermediaries try to capture a minor rent gap inherent in the revaluation cycle of the rent gap, leading to invisible social and political exclusion from the market, depending on citizenship and political affiliation. The methodology used was qualitative, with a historical approach that traced land transactions from the time of the change of tenure to the current use.

Key words: rent gap theory, land rent, access to property, housing, refugees’ property, political property, public property, social exclusion.

Jury members:

Natacha AVELINE, Directrice de recherches, CNRS Géographie, Cités

Mona FAWAZ, Professor, American University of Beirut (reviewer)

Sukriti ISSAR, Associate Professor, Sciences Po

Irène SALENSON, Chef de projet, AFD

Tom SLATER, Professor, Columbia University (reviewer)

Éric VERDEIL, Professeur des universités, Sciences Po (supervisor)

December 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the IEP Paris, 9 rue de la chaise, room 907. In case you want to attend, please email to Rouba Rouba.Wehbe [at] sciencespo.fr

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