By definition, land deals involve combinations of
actors rather than individual agencies, companies or
government officials. Deals are done both within and
across borders. The relationship between particular
public and private actors is an important defining
element of the political economy of land deals in the
region, but it is manifested and represented differently
in each country. At one level, the relationship often
falls under the generic term “corruption”, which can be
blatant in some circumstances and much more hidden,
nuanced or even quasi-legal in others. For this reason,
we refer to public-private interactions in terms more
specific to the political-economic circumstances of, and
interactions between, the countries in question.