ROADS AND POVERTY REDUCTION Wednesday afternoon, 24 November

Roads and poverty reduction: effectiveness of mobility?  Which rural poor can be helped: the destitute or the strivers?  Are they poor because they are isolated (cut off: studies show isolation and poverty correlated)  But will roads make them more mobile and less isolated?  Can they pay for road transport? How can they they profit from more mobility?  Does road investment need additional funds to complement it?  Should we look at accessibility planning (IRAP)?

Poverty reduction: nature of poverty  Poverty is simple to diagnose but is multi - symptom and multi-cause and difficult to cure  The poor are invisible and excluded, often deformed or in pain, without hope, unwanted, totally dependent, and vulnerable (Vollmann)  Sometimes there is no solution but politiac will and/or charity  Development initiatives can help most those who have material assets and reserves of knowledge and motivation  Roads can help if isolation is a contributing factor

Effective poverty reduction  Identify areas where poverty is known to be higher than normal  Determine a) are they isolated? b) Does it brake development?  If isolated, include them in the core network (even if less cost-effective)  Are there are other constraints on mobility (small production surplus, low incomes)?  Formulate targeted programmes  Gender-targeted initiatives more effective as income goes directly to basic needs  Don’t just throw money at the problem!  Pig-simple solutions are not the answer!

Connected modules  Gender Gender  IRAP

Poverty reduction: references  roads and poverty reduction.pdf roads and poverty reduction.pdf  Poverty alleviation Poverty alleviation  Roads and poverty Roads and poverty