Abstract This paper contributes to debates on the implications of land-based investments on local livelihoods in the Global South. Drawing on a comprehensive national dataset on land concessions in Laos, and 2005 and 2015 village-level poverty rates, we examine the association between land-based investments and poverty at the village level in Lao rural areas. Results outline contexts in which land-based investments have either positive or adverse association with village-level poverty change rates; they also reveal factors that determine village-level poverty reduction in Laos. Our results suggest that poverty rates in villages affected by land-based investments decreased significantly between 2005 and 2015, following the national trend in Laos. However, in cases where land-based investments caused more farmland loss, poverty reduction was low or poverty rates increased over this period. Results further reveal that land-based investments implemented in more remote areas or poorer villages had a stronger association with poverty reduction. However, poverty was not a central consideration for the establishment of land-based investments. Our findings fill an important gap, providing a middle-level analysis from which grounded observations are analyzed alongside national trends.

中文翻译：

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老挝农村受土地投资影响的村庄的贫困趋势

摘要 本文有助于关于土地投资对全球南方当地生计的影响的辩论。利用老挝土地特许权的综合国家数据集以及 2005 年和 2015 年村级贫困率，我们研究了老挝农村地区的土地投资与村级贫困之间的关联。结果概述了土地投资与村级贫困变化率有正相关或负相关的背景；它们还揭示了决定老挝村级减贫的因素。我们的研究结果表明，随着老挝的全国趋势，受土地投资影响的村庄的贫困率在 2005 年至 2015 年间显着下降。但是，在土地投资造成更多耕地损失的情况下，在此期间，减贫率很低或贫困率有所上升。结果进一步表明，在较偏远地区或较贫困村庄实施的土地投资与减贫有更强的关联。然而，贫困并不是建立以土地为基础的投资的核心考虑因素。我们的发现填补了一个重要的空白，提供了一个中层分析，从中可以分析扎根观察结果以及国家趋势。