Evidence on land deals' impacts on local livelihoods

Transnational land deals are expected to benefit local livelihoods by directly and indirectly contributing to economic development. However, mixed evidence exists on the livelihood impacts of land deals. In this paper, I summarize and reconcile findings from quantitative and qualitative studies to identify the variations in impacts and factors that help explain those variations. I use the findings to demonstrate how and why research on land deals' livelihood impacts can first, benefit from the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and second, provide grounds for more rigorous analyses and practical policy implications. Lastly, I discuss future research directions by identifying gaps and opportunities to be explored in the literature on land deals' impacts on local livelihoods.