CARE's Rural Livelihoods Programme is exploring ways of improving poor rural people's access to land. This literature review introduces the legal framework through which rights to land are officially defined, and explains the structures and procedures through which they are administered. It is divided into three parts. The first shows how land law and policy have evolved, traces the origins of key institutions, and outlines the major features of contemporary land administration. The second explores how private ownership of land is established, transferred and recorded. The third explores the procedures through which access to public land and water resources are administered.

"The Northwest Institutional Analysis is a good example of the kind of exercise that is needed if we are to be effective in rights-based programming. Presented here is a compelling depiction of the interconnected nature of formal and informal institutions, showing how power and resources are concentrated in the hands of certain key individuals, families and institutions and graphically demonstrating the complexity of programming required to change the status quo." - John Ambler, Asia Regional Director, CARE. 

The study's focus on the key institutions that govern unions will enable rural projects or programs to better address the social and political marginalization of the poor and to design locally appropriate interventions. As such, this study reflects CARE's new approach towards programmatic interventions—outlined in the Long Range Strategic Plan of CARE Bangladesh—that emphasize the importance of strengthening need-based approaches towards development through rights-based programming.