Take the Highway? Paved Roads and Well-Being in Africa

Elodie Djemai, Andrew Clark and Conchita D'Ambrosio

No DT/2020/11, Working Papers from DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation)

Abstract: Public Goods aim to improve individual welfare. We investigate the causal consequences of roads on well-being for 24 African countries, instrumenting paved roads by 19th Century hypothetical lines between major ports and cities. We have data on over 32000 individuals, and consider both their objective and subjective well-being. Roads reduce material deprivation, in terms of access to basic needs. But at the same time those closer to roads evaluate their living conditions as being worse. This suggests that roads are a double-edged sword in Africa, either being associated with worse outcomes in non basic-needs domains, or increasing individuals' aspirations.

Keywords: Roads; Subjective Well-being; Basic Needs; Material Deprivation; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 I32 O18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 60 pages
Date: 2020-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-hap and nep-ltv
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Downloads: (external link)
https://dial.ird.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/202 ... -Being-in-Africa.pdf First version, 2020 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Take the Highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa (2024)
Working Paper: Take the Highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa (2024)
Working Paper: Take the Highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa (2024)
Working Paper: Take the Highway? Paved Roads and Well-Being in Africa (2023)
Working Paper: Take the Highway? Paved Roads and Well-Being in Africa (2023)
Working Paper: Take the highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa (2021)
Working Paper: Take the Highway? Paved Roads and Well-Being in Africa (2021)
Working Paper: Take the highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa (2021)
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