Land Acquisition Regulation through the lens of expert stakeholders’ mental models - what are the implications for business development among Swedish farmers?

Abstract

Agricultural and forestry land markets are regulated in several European countries. Assessing the economic consequences of land market regulation for agricultural and forestry firms is methodologically challenging for various reasons. The aim of this study is to explore the relevance of expert stakeholders’ mental models in order to gain insights into the economic impacts of agricultural and forestry land market regulation. We use thematic analysis based on in-depth interview data to explore Swedish expert stakeholders’ mental models concerning the regulation of the Swedish agricultural and forestry land market and focus on impacts for private land owners, i.e. farmers and non-industry forestry owners. This research strategy facilitated a rich understanding of the effects of land regulation on economic consequences for private landowners who use the land in farms and/or forestry. Findings indicate that current regulation does not have any major impact on the economic situation of the considered types of farms and non-industry forestry owners in Sweden. This is interesting from the perspective of agricultural and forestry land market policy.