The global land rush simultaneously produces operational land deals and non-operational/‘failed’ land deals. The authors of this article argue that it is important to study both types because both can fundamentally alter social relations and the wider landscapes in which they are embedded.
Focusing their research in Cambodia, Yunan Xu, Dadik Song, Arnim Scheidel, Eang Vuthy and Satrunino M. Borras argue that non-operational land deals, sometimes lumped together with similar cases under the label of ‘failed land deals’ could in fact be successful land grabs.
Differentiating the land rush and land grabbing, including their different scopes, allow us to see better the extent of the global land rush and land grabbing, and the long-term impacts they have on broad social life.
Read the article online - After the land rush: Land and social life in Cambodia, Globalizations, December 2025.
