Roads and Rural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Berg, Claudia N.; Blankespoor, Brian; Selod, Harris

Roads and Rural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Autores

Berg, Claudia N.

Blankespoor, Brian

Selod, Harris

Editor

World Bank, Washington, DC

Descripción

This paper assesses the relation between access to markets and cultivated land in Sub-Saharan Africa. Making use of a geo-referenced panel over three decades (1970-2005) during which the road network was significantly improved, the analysis finds a modest but significant positive association between increased market accessibility and local cropland expansion. It also finds that cropland expansion, in turn, is associated with a small but significant increase in local gross domestic product. These results are suggestive of agricultural activities that develop at the extensive margin, which are mostly to serve local demand, but are not indicative of commercial agriculture that serves external markets.

Palabras clave

TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS, DEFICIT, HOLDING, POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, LOCAL POPULATION, CHECKS, ACCOUNTING, URBANIZATION, ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, INTEREST, CROPLAND, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, URBAN POPULATION GROWTH RATES, EXCHANGE, PROPERTY RIGHTS, DOMESTIC MARKET, ELASTICITY, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, PRICING, ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, DUMMY VARIABLE, MARKET ACCESS, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, CHANGE IN POPULATION, TRANSACTION COST, INTERNATIONAL BANK, TRANSPORT INVESTMENT, TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ENABLING ENVIRONMENT, SPEEDS, POVERTY REDUCTION, CONVERSION, KNOWLEDGE, DEVELOPMENT, TRANSPORT INVESTMENTS, ROAD, CROP PRODUCTION, COSTS, MARKET DEVELOPMENT, ROAD NETWORK, TRANSPORT, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, POPULATION GROWTH, AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY, POPULATION DIVISION, INDUSTRIALIZATION, MIGRATION, MONETARY FUND, ADOPTION, MARKETS, RETURN, INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, CULTURAL CHANGE, PRODUCT, TRAVEL TIMES, RURAL ROADS, POPULATION PANEL, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, TRANSPORT INDUSTRY, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC INVESTMENT, LAND USE, RESPECT, CITY POPULATION, PROGRESS, TRANSACTION, GOOD, FOOD SECURITY, TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION, MARKET POTENTIAL, POLICIES, ROAD CATEGORIES, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, VALUE, POPULATION GROWTH RATES, LOCAL MARKET, RETURNS, ACCESSIBILITY, DEMAND, RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL POVERTY, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN AREAS, GLOBAL POPULATION, AGRICULTURE, PROPERTY, IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY, MARKET, POPULATIONS, ACCESS TO MARKETS, HIGHWAYS, AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES, POLICY, POPULATION GROWTH RATE, ROADS, EXTERNAL MARKET, CD, SOCIAL AFFAIRS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HIGHWAY, GOODS, SECURITY, REGIONS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INVESTMENT, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, URBAN POPULATION GROWTH, RURAL AREAS, POVERTY, RAILROADS, SUBSISTENCE FARMING, LANES, POPULATION, INVESTMENTS, CHECK, POLICY RESEARCH, HEAVY RELIANCE, ROAD INVESTMENT, ROAD CONNECTIONS, FERTILITY, ROAD INFORMATION, POPULATION DATA, URBAN POPULATIONS, TRANSPORT COSTS, PUBLIC SPENDING, EXTERNAL MARKETS, TRAVEL TIME, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, URBAN POPULATION, TRANSPORT POLICIES, POPULATION INCREASES, PRICES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY