Bridging Property Right Theory, Corrective Justice Theory and Institutional Theory to Enhance Land Registration System
Abstract
The digitalization of land registration aims at modernising and enhancing the performance of government services with a comprehensive, user friendly, secure and trustworthy system. However, section 340 of the National Land Code remains to pose an unjust fortune for an innocent land owner in a matter of land dispute with an innocent subsequent purchaser with valuable consideration. A depth analysis of property right theory, corrective justice theory and institutional theory will be conducted to lay down the justification and rational of improvement needed to address the abovementioned issue: this becomes the sole objective of this research. From the doctrinal method employed throughout this study, the result demonstrated that the combination of these three theories allows for positive enhancement of the land registration system. Integrating property right theory and corrective justice theory set the foundation to ameliorate the aspect of compensation and enforcement mechanism while the institutional theory necessitates upgrading the overall governance of the land registration system by strengthening the reliability of the database as well as refining the verification protocols of land registration. This paper argues that the absence of a compensation mechanism and weak institutional safeguards undermine the Torrens system. To improve title security and restore confidence in the land registration system, it proposes an integrated theoretical framework.
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References
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