Land grabs and labor in Cambodia

Large-scale Land Acquisitions (LSLAs), often labeled "land grabs," are long-term leases of land obtained by private companies. I merge data on the precise locations of 236 LSLAs in Cambodia established between 1996 and 2012 with newly geocoded data from the Cambodian Socio-Economic Surveys to estimate the effects of LSLAs on employment, household spending, and agricultural investment. I find that LSLAs cause a shift away from independent agricultural production towards employment in agricultural labor in adjacent regions. Additionally, I find that LSLAs result in a decline in household spending and little evidence that LSLAs result in local technology adoption.