Findings of the socio-economic impact study of the road maintenance and rehabilitation programme in Papua New Guinea

The World Bank funded Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Programme commenced in 2000 in Papua New Guinea. Criteria for funding the selected roads were that the economic return from the rehabilitation must be at least 12 percent. Also such things as traffic volumes, health, and educational and agricultural aspects were taken into consideration, because they are expected to have economic returns later. The Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project is expected to speed up national development by providing better roads and transportation systems in the country. The roads are also seen to reduce poverty. Some economic changes can be seen quite soon, such as increased employment possibilities and incomes, or after several years or even after one generation, for example, as a healthy and educated labor force The purpose of the Socioeconomic Impact Study (SIS) was to evaluate the impacts of the road rehabilitation on the households' income and expenditure, on access to health and education services and the reduction of poverty in the selected sample and control villages in the six participating provinces of Manus, East and West New Britain, Oro, Central, and Morobe starting in 2004 and ending in 2009. The study villages were divided into the sample villages by the main roads and the control villages away from the main road. This paper covers the final round of the study and combines and compares the previous data, and the data collected in 2009. In 2009, 387 households were interviewed in 22 villages, 172 households in ten sample and 215 households in the twelve control villages. The same households were interviewed also in the previous study rounds. In the survey households, subsistence farmer was reported as occupation by 70 percent of the respondents and 30 percent report some other occupation than subsistence farmer. The main income sources of the households are vegetable and cash crop sales and salaries and wages. In the sample villages, the vegetable sales bring 27 percent, cash crop sales 26 percent and salaries and wages 29 percent of all incomes. The respective percentages in the control villages are 41, 29 and 13. Paper is presenting the main findings of the study divided for findings on i) Impact on the road use, ii) Impact on public transportation, iii) Impact on the income sources, iv) Impact on the accessibility and impacts on the poverty. It is clear, based also on this study data, that the good roads are necessary preconditions for socioeconomic development.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.piarc.org/en/order-library/13949-en-Proceedings%20of%20the%20XXIVth%20World%20Road%20Congress,%20Mexico%20-%202011.htm
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of the World Road Association – PIARC.
• Corporate Authors:

  World Road Association (PIARC)

  La Grande Arche, Paroi Nord, Niveau 5
  F-92055 La Defense Cedex,   France 
• Authors:
  • Asigua, William
  • Jusi, Sari
• Conference:
  • 24th World Road Congress
  • Location: Mexico City , Mexico
  • Date: 2011-9-26 to 2011-9-30
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: 24th World Road Congress Proceedings: Roads for a Better Life: Mobility, Sustainability and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Highway maintenance; Impact studies; Low income groups; Rehabilitation; Socioeconomic factors; Surveys
• Geographic Terms: Papua New Guinea
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I60: Maintenance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01500417
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 2840602679
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 3 2013 9:11AM