The causal and moderating effects of land titling on optimizing farm households' income structure

Abstract

: The new round of rural land titling is one of the tasks in deepening rural property rights system reform. Its relationship with farmers’ income structure impacts the establishment of a long-term mechanism for increasing farmers’ incomes and the achievement of the goal of common prosperity. This paper utilizes panel data from China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) conducted from 2014 to 2022, along with a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model, to examine the direct effects and moderating mechanisms of land rights confirmation on farm households’ income structure. The findings indicate that land titling enhances the concentration of farm households’ incomes and optimizes their income structure. The moderating effect analysis reveals that families with members working away from home strengthen the positive impact of rights confirmation on income stability. Therefore, this study provides empirical evidence and policy recommendations for consolidating and expanding the achievements of land titling, improving the rural property rights system, and broadening channels for increasing farmers’ incomes.