Land and Policies are of fundamental importance to sustain growth, good governance, and the well being of rural and urban dwellers, particularly the poor people. This report aims to strengthen the effectiveness of land policy in support of development and poverty reduction through the results of recent research in an easily accessible and understandable manner. It focuses on three principles: providing secure tenure to land can improve the welfare of the poor, facilitating the exchange and distribution of land, and governments having a clear role to play in promoting and contributing to socially desirable land allocation and utilisation.