Infrastructure and Rural Transformation: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment

Khondoker Mottaleb and Syed Imran Ali Meerza

No 404755, 2026 Annual Meeting, July 26 - 28, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: This study quantifies the long-run impacts of the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge on agricultural transformation and rural welfare in Bangladesh. Exploiting the bridge opening in June 1998 as a quasi-natural experiment, we use six waves of nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Survey data and a difference-indifferences framework. The results indicate that households in treatment areas experienced higher expenditures, increased agricultural investment, greater agricultural commercialization, and stronger production growth following the bridge opening. Effects are stronger in districts closer to the bridge, suggesting that reduced transport costs and improved market access generated durable rural transformation. The findings highlight the role of large-scale transport infrastructure in reducing spatial isolation, improving agricultural outcomes, and supporting progress toward poverty reduction and food-security goals.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban; Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea26:404755

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.404755

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