RURAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE - Consulting Services



	Capacity Statement & Expertise Curricula Vitae Experience

David J. Bledsoe, J.D., LL.M.
Rural Development Institute
1411 Fourth Avenue Suite 910
Seattle, Washington USA 98101
(206) 528-5880 / Fax (206) 528-5881
davidb@rdiland.org

KEY QUALIFICATIONS
David Bledsoe is a land law and policy specialist with expertise in land tenure reform, land registration and other land administration functions, common property regimes and issues, land related conflicts and dispute resolution, and land-related institutional capacity building. He also has a broad expertise in contract law, regulatory law, commercial law, and project/program administration and management. Mr. Bledsoe has performed rural fieldwork that determines existing land tenure conditions for purposes of designing new land policy and legislation, examines post-conflict land situations, evaluates experimental land tenure approaches, and surveys the extent to which conditions in the field conform to new and existing legal and regulatory frameworks. He has assessed a variety of proposed and existing land laws, regulations, and policies; evaluated land market conditions and institutional environments; and made recommendations as to policy reforms and legislative/regulatory improvements. He has also developed training programs designed to inform government officials and landowners about reforms and new legal, policy, and institutional regimes, and he has designed household surveys to collect information about land use, dispute resolution, takings, leasing, and purchase and sales. Mr. Bledsoe has conducted a variety of land related desk research projects, some of which have focused on land related administrative institutions, land titling and registration, conflicts and land, and impediments to land reform. He is currently focusing on land issues in Africa and is serving as RDI’s Africa Program Coordinator.

EDUCATION
LL.M., University of Washington School of Law, 1995, Law of Sustainable International Development, with Honors. Coursework in land law, international development law, international environmental law, rural studies, and public administration.

J.D., University of Puget Sound School of Law, 1993, cum laude. American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Corporations. Dean’s List, 1991-1992.

B.A., Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, 1980. Majored in English with a minor in Political Science.

GEOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE
Albania, Kyrgyz Republic, Ukraine, China, Angola, Rwanda, and Uganda.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Deputy Director, Rural Development Institute, Seattle, Washington (June 1998 to present)
Duties as a staff attorney include field research and evaluation, legal analysis, policy development, and implementation planning related to issues of land tenure reform and land administration. Representative programmatic assignments are as follows:

Senior Land Law and Policy Specialist, Global Land Tenure Awareness Framework: Property Rights and Natural Resource Management, USAID. (October 2003 to present) Participating in a project that will create several standardized tools to be used by USAID for land assessments, reform impacts evaluations, and sequencing of reforms. Leading a case study team that will test the land assessment tool in Angola. Will prepare a report that characterizes both the land situation in Angola and the results of the testing of the land assessment tool. Conducting a desk review of sequencing literature and creating a methodology to undertake sequencing case studies. Also participating in a task to summarily characterize the land rights and tenure security situation in most of the developing countries around the globe. In follow-on training efforts for both USAID staff and counterpart country nationals, will participate in preparation and delivery of training for Southern Africa.
Principal Researcher and Author, USAID Land and Violent Conflict Toolkit, USAID, Washington, D.C. (October 2003 to March 2004) Conducted extensive desk research and subsequently authored a toolkit for USAID mission use that addressed how land problems can serve as a contributing factor in the outbreak of violent conflicts around the world. The toolkit included a problem statement that explored the link between land access and tenure problems and violent conflict, including triggering events, the symbolic power of the land, and possible interventions. The toolkit also described a number of “best practices” interventions implemented by donors around the world, and it included a set of indicator questions that could be used during rapid rural appraisal to identify the potential for festering land problems.
Participating Expert, Land and Violent Conflict Workshop, Woodrow Wilson Center for Peace Studies, Washington, D.C. (January 2004) Served as opening speaker during a workshop focusing on land access and tenure problems and their connection to violent conflict around the world. These remarks set the stage for follow-on presentations and discussions that addressed particular country situations, including Zimbabwe and Fiji.
Legal and Policy Consultant, Rwanda Land Law and Policy Assessment and Recommendations, USAID, Kigali, Rwanda. (May 2003 to present) First conducted distance data gathering and key informant interviews, followed by literature review and desk review of draft land law and land policy. Prepared report and recommendations for review by USAID, other donors, and the Rwandan Ministry of Land and Environment. Primary issues included the legal and policy treatment of land tenure types, land consolidation plans, land use monitoring and control, customary property resources and regimes, avoidance of conflicts, reconciliation of land disputes, and a proposed land registration system. Several recommendations were adopted and resulted in changes to the land policy and land law. Then conducted in-country fieldwork and investigation, working in cooperation with the Rwandan Ministry of Land and Environment. Focusing on land commissions, land registration, land concessions, and land valuation at the request of the ministry, provided a variety of recommendations to inform the upcoming regulatory development and implementation process. Follow-up in-country work is now being begun that will focus on the development of development of regulations on three topical areas: (1) land concessions; (2) land valuation; and (3) land expropriation. Outlines of regulations and a model land concession regulation will be created.
Participating Expert, Land, Conflict, and Development Seminar, OECD/USAID, Paris. (June 2003) Served as a contributing expert during a 2-day meeting of land and conflicts experts called upon to assist OECD with formulating development assistance guidelines for land initiatives and their relation to violent conflict. Focused on how violent conflicts might be created by land and resource inequities and disputes, and how these conflicts might best be mitigated by appropriately designed land initiatives.
Legal and Policy Consultant, Angola Land Law and Policy Consultation and Recommendations, USAID, Angola. (September 2003 to present) Undertaking ongoing fieldwork and consultation trips to Angola to provide advocacy and advice on the content of several new land laws. Providing ongoing input on implementing regulations and advising NGOs on civil advocacy content and strategies in an attempt to influence the final content of the law. Also doing fieldwork investigations to determine the extent of land disputes and the needs of communities that hold land as common property resources. Most recently worked in-country in July 2004, and now planning for extensive fieldwork mission (which Mr. Bledsoe will lead) slated for October 2004. Fieldwork team will include two lawyers, two economists, and one sociologist.
Angola Land Law and Policy Assessment. USAID/Luanda. (September 2002 to January 2003) Conducted review of new draft land legislation created after the April 2002 peace accord signed between the MPLA government and UNITA rebel forces. As a part of the needed fact-finding effort, conducted key informant interviews of government, NGO, and donor representatives in Luanda and two provinces. Also conducted rural fieldwork in two provinces, including interviews at a quartering camp where UNITA rebels and their families were put until their resettlement could be arranged. Also interviewed temporary settlements of internally displaced people. Primary issues include the legal and policy treatment of common property resources and regimes, reconciliation of land disputes, feasibility of a land registration system and pilot projects, legal education and advocacy, development of related civil society forces, and accommodation of the land needs of internally displaced persons. Provided recommendations for follow-on activities on the part of the donor community, USAID, NGOs, and the Angolan government.
Land Reform and Poverty Alleviation Studies, World Bank. (May 2002 to present) Undertaking one of three research and writing efforts focused on land reform and the extent to which it is successful in targeting the poor and women. Authoring study on whether land titling and registration in fact yield the benefits intended to be provided and whether the benefits work to alleviate poverty. Providing recommendations as to how registration projects can be better designed, implemented (or not), and monitored, and thereby more directly benefit the poor and women. Regional focus includes Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the FSU.
Ukraine Land Titling Initiative. USAID/Kyiv. (February 2002 to present) Participating as legal consultant in an agricultural and non-agricultural land titling project. Providing legal review and commentary on a variety of normative acts and laws, including the law on registration, law on takings, law on cadastre, and law on lease. Has conducted rural fieldwork to confirm the issue of titles. Generally assisting in developing and implementing strategies for privatization, title issuance, and land use.
Land Sector Analysis: Common Property Regimes. Government of Uganda. (October 2001 to April 2002) In conjunction with RDI and Ugandan team members that addressed land markets and gender issues and women’s land rights, conducted fieldwork and follow-on report preparation to determine the extent to which recent Ugandan legal land reform has affected the status and viability of common property resources and customary common property regimes. The new legal infrastructure tends to focus on parcel individualization, and the common property inquiry was conducted with an eye toward determining the extent to which customary tenure schemes had been corrupted or displaced by individualization and/or titling. The effort focused on wetlands and cattle grazing areas, although the literature review and recommendations had a broader scope. Fieldwork included rapid rural appraisal interviews, key informant interviews, and village focus group meetings.
Characterization of Status of Land Reform in Western CIS, Transcaucuses, Balkans, and EU Accession Countries. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. (August 2001 to November 2001) Assisted in a major desk study of the status of land reform measures in a variety of Eastern Europe and FSU countries and provide recommendations as to follow-on measures. Focused on legal land ownership rights, land privatization, farm restructuring, land transactions, mortgage, administrative frameworks, and roles of the public and private sectors. Authored report section on the Balkans. In addressing this region, also considered land-swapping schemes that would be focused on the repatriation of displaced persons.
Assessment of the USAID-funded Land Registration and Administration Project in Albania. (October 2000 to December 2000) Co-conducted an extensive in-country evaluation of the status of an ongoing Albanian land registration and land market project. Included document and statistics review and interviews of representatives from Albanian government, Albanian NGOs, project team, USAID, EU/Phare, the World Bank, Albanian private service providers, Albanian banking industry, Albanian Notaries Association, and Albanian real estate brokers. Provided assessment of project-to-date accomplishments, made recommendations as to what should yet be accomplished prior to the project’s end, and provided recommendations as to registration project and land market support activities that might be undertaken by USAID after the end of the project.
Kyrgyz Republic Land Legislation Implementation, Monitoring Surveys, Development of Legal Regulations, and Legal Aid Training Program Development. (August 1999 to October 2000) ARD/Checchi. USAID Commercial Law Project. Participated in the design and implementation of an extensive rural fieldwork and survey effort designed to determine progress and changes made pursuant to new land legislation. Provided in-country and on-going home office services in the implementation of laws and regulations related to land reform (Land Code, Law on Mortgage, Peasant Farm Law, and Law on Cooperatives). Assisted in the design and development of a 15-day training program for Kyrgyz lawyers slated to staff a legal assistance center in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Also provided guidance to the reorganization and re-chartering of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.
China Land Management Law Implementation Project. (January 1999 to present) Project team member for ongoing Land Management Law implementation and monitoring project and related legal reform activities. Conducted rural fieldwork and tested rural household survey in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, focusing on implementation of the Land Management Law's 30-year use right, transferability of the right, dispute resolution, monitoring, land parcel readjustment, and information/education measures.
China Legal Reform Project for China Institute for Reform and Development. (April 1999 to September 1999) Project team member for preparation of a report on international comparison on land systems. Authored report chapter on the relationship between policy and the rule of law in China.
Evaluation and Recommendations on China Joint Stock System Experimental Rural Land Use Model. (May 1999 to October 1999) Conducted rural fieldwork in Guangdong province, focusing on set up, management, profit sharing, and land leasing of joint stock companies. Prepared report and recommendations.
Policy and Legal Research and Writing on Legal Impediments to Effective Rural Land Relations in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union Countries for the World Bank. (June 1998 to August 1998) Project team member during preparation of a comprehensive report on the construction of a methodology for officials in Europe and Central Asia to assess the extent to which legal and institutional environments effectively support rural land markets and land relations. Authored chapter on land-related administrative institutions. Participated in the writing and/or editing of the chapters on land use and mortgage. Coordinated the efforts of the foreign comparative experts from Japan, Germany, France, and Italy.

Regional Claims and Contracts Counsel, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (December 1996 to May 1998) Responsible for defense of environmental engineering and consulting claims and for contracting activities for $119 million per year environmental practice covering regional business unit activities in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Staffing Manager, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (November 1994 to December 1996) Duties included management of human resources, workload projection and leveling, hiring and terminations, staff development and training, and staff assignments for water, wastewater, and water resources planning and design business unit (up to 165 staff members within six offices; over $30 million in labor revenue).

Operations Manager, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (November 1993 to November 1994) Managed financial and contracting operations for water, wastewater, and water resources planning and design business unit ($12 million labor income per year and 85 staff members).

Program Administrative Manager, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (January 1986 to August 1989) Served as program administrative manager for a multi-year wastewater treatment plant design program. Responsible for subcontracting, cost and schedule monitoring and reporting, project office set-up and management, and prime contract administration.

Project Administrative Manager, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (June 1984 to January 1986) Served as project administrative manager for a multi-year wastewater pipeline design project. Responsible for subcontracting, cost and schedule monitoring and reporting, and prime contract administration.

Writer and Editor, CH2M HILL, Inc., Bellevue, Washington. (March 1981 to June 1984) Wrote, edited, and managed the production of environmental impact statements, engineering reports, technical memorandums, permitting documents, statements of qualifications, proposals, presentations, press releases, brochures, slide shows, and videos for business acquisition efforts.

PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS
"Rwanda Land Law and Policy Assessment," Report to USAID (2003).

"Angola Land Law and Policy Assessment," Report to USAID (2003) (with Pinto).

"Using Land Titling and Registration to Alleviate Poverty," World Bank Technical Paper (2002) (draft).

"Characteristics of Land-Related Administrative Institutions: What is needed to support equitable and productive land development?," Ashgate Land Management Series (2002) (draft).

Land Sector Analysis: Common Property Resources Component, Ministry of Water, Lands, and Environment, The Government of the Republic of Uganda, (2002) (with Muhereza).

Evaluation of the Albania Land Market Project, Report to USAID, (2000) (with Gaynor).

“Land-Related Administrative Institutions,” in Prosterman and Hanstad, Legal Impediments to Effective Rural Land Relations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A Comparative Perspective, World Bank Technical Paper No. 436 (1999).

Policy, the Rule of Law, and Rural Land Reform in China, RDI Report on Foreign Aid and Development No. 101 (2000).

The Joint Stock Share System in China's Nanhai County, RDI Report on Foreign Aid and Development No. 103 (2000) (with Prosterman).

Unpublished Master in Laws thesis: “Tied Aid, Capital Projects, and Export Promotion: Aid or Trade?” (1995).

Unpublished Master in Laws research project: “The Inverse Relationship Between Farm Size and Productivity: Does It Have a Role in Agrarian Reform?” (1995).

“Alternative Construction Project Delivery in Washington State: Regulatory and Literature Review.” (Technical Memorandum prepared for King County, Washington, Department of Natural Resources, 1997).