Share tenancy and sharecropping

Marshall's analysis of share tenancy leads to different and in some ways contradictory conclusions in terms of assessment of efficiency, according to the prevailing market conditions. The chapter argues that, as a consequence of the recent analysis carried out by many economists, the theory states that within share tenancy agreements, which are flexible in space and time, tenants may farm the land under weaker constraints and may also take into account their family's needs; at the same time, landlords may increase the value of their assets negotiating improvements on land by means of farmers' work. This analysis implies substantial criticisms to any law that forbids new sharecropping arrangements.