How Does India's Rural Roads Program Affect the Grassroots? Findings from a Survey in Orissa

Bell, Clive ; van Dillen, Susanne

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCESS TO HEALTH;    ACCESS TO TREATMENT;    ACCIDENTS;    AGED;    ANXIETY;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6167
RP-ID  :  WPS6167

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper analyzes the effects ofall-weather rural roads on households' net outputprices, education and health in a poor, drought-prone regionof India. Of 30 villages originally surveyed in 2001-02,when two had such roads, a further nine received thembetween January 2007 and December 2009 under the programPradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Cross-section comparisonsinvolving all villages and 'before and after'comparisons in the nine yielded these findings: (i) netoutput prices were 5 per cent or more higher; (ii)substantially fewer days of schooling were lost due to badweather, largely because teachers had fewer absences; (iii)the acutely sick received more timely treatment and weremore likely to be treated in a hospital than in the nearestprimary health clinic; and (iv) the respondents ranked theresulting benefits in the domains of health and education atleast as highly as the 'commercial' ones.