The presentations by Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj at the Political Economy and Governance in Syria conference held at the London School of Economics (LSE) in December 2018 focused on two main topics: the challenges of housing, land management, and property rights in post-conflict Syria, and the political economy of local elections in Syria.

In the first presentation, Mr. Hallaj discussed the complex legal framework governing property rights in Syria, which includes overlapping and contradictory land and housing policies. He highlighted the challenges posed by this legal framework, including issues related to women's property rights, freehold and different tenure systems, and the impact of the state's management of these sectors. Mr. Hallaj emphasized the state's use of eminent domain and the resulting discrepancies in compensation schemes. He also addressed the legacy of social problems related to inheritance law and the significant burden of reconstruction on the private sector.

Mr. Hallaj examined Law 10, an urban planning law, and its implications for property management in Syria. He explained that while Law 10 does not change the nature of property rights, it poses risks of devaluing property and denying people their rights. He also outlined the economic considerations of land pooling projects under Law 10, indicating the challenges of replicability, investment requirements, and market absorption.

The second presentation focused on the political economy of local elections in Syria. Mr. Hallaj described how these elections serve to build and empower a patronage network for the regime, rather than functioning as a mechanism for fair representation or democracy. He discussed the administrative distribution of local councils and the impact of this distribution on the credibility of future elections. Mr. Hallaj also highlighted the role of local governance bodies in encouraging limited access to state formality and the importance of understanding the administrative distribution of local councils.

In conclusion, Mr. Hallaj stressed the need for a comprehensive review of land and housing management policies, beyond Law 10. He suggested that economic conditions, governance, jobs, and infrastructure, in addition to security, are crucial for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons. Mr. Hallaj also emphasized the importance of designing administrative solutions for housing, land, and property (HLP) problems and the need for a political language to be defined in the text of the final settlement in Syria.