Rural Accessibility, Rural Development, and Natural Disasters in Bangladesh

Saleh Ahmed and Elizabeth Eklund
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Saleh Ahmed: School of Public Service, Boise State University
Elizabeth Eklund: School of Anthropology, University of Arizona

Journal of Developing Societies, 2019, vol. 35, issue 3, 391-411

Abstract: Rural accessibility means more than just reliable roads and cost-effective transportation networks. Rural accessibility is critical for achieving social and economic development in low-income developing countries such as Bangladesh where both rural and urban development are constrained by significant infrastructural deficiencies. It is also an important factor that determines the effects of natural disasters on these resource-constrained societies, since both disaster responses and sustainable development are compromised by poor rural accessibility. Using two contrasting case studies from Bangladesh, this article reveals the significance of improved rural accessibility on rural development and the effects of natural disasters on rural areas. The findings of this article suggest that the improvement of rural accessibility should be a top national development priority, since it increases the opportunities for sustainable social and economic development and reduces the adverse effects of natural disasters on the rural areas in developing countries such as Bangladesh.

Keywords: rural accessibility; rural development; disaster preparedness; Bangladesh; United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:35:y:2019:i:3:p:391-411

DOI: 10.1177/0169796X19868318

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