| |
Contributions from
the Column
Monitor
UN Summit: saving what could be saved
UN summit press review
Commodity exporters enjoy high demand
UNCTAD: Happy times for commodity exporters
Taxing air travel to fund development
Japan to increase aid
Roads and development
Alternative health report for WHO reform
Women have higher crop yields
World Bank: inequality blocks development
10/2005
|
|
Roads and development
Improving traffic infrastructure with the aim of boosting the economy has been part of the development policy toolbox for a long time. However, not every road has achieved the same effect. Simple, low-quality roads in rural regions make the greatest contribution to poverty reduction rather than expressways or motorways. This is the conclusion of a study by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on the development of Chinese roads.
According to the study, the government of the People’s Republic has extended expressway connections between the Chinese economic centres by 44 percent per annum since 1988. Meanwhile, rural roads experienced growth of only three percent per annum. The study states that the contribution of low-quality roads to the gross domestic product in relation to the costs is four times higher than that of high-quality expressways. This is said to be true for urban and rural areas alike. According to IFPRI, the Chinese government should give priority to improving the rural road network in future. (ell)
On the Internet:
http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/abstract/abstr138.htm
|
