ABSTRACT

Cadastral reform is on the world's agenda. Countries world wide are reforming their systems. It is generally accepted that there is no standard cadastre for any country since the social, cultural, economic, legal and institutional needs of all countries are different. Experience also indicates that cadastral reform is very difficult and that inappropriate reforms can do more harm than good. Therefore the best way to undertake cadastral reform is to adopt a rigorous case study methodology to evaluate and understand the existing system and the economic, cultural and social influences which effect it.

The paper reviews the case study methodology in general, looks at how the methodology can be improved for cadastral application by drawing on other disciplines, especially anthropology, and investigates the role of case studies in the cadastral reform process.