IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/deveco/v103y2013icp262-274.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Providing quality infrastructure in rural villages: The case of rural roads in China

Author

Listed:
  • Wong, Ho Lun
  • Luo, Renfu
  • Zhang, Linxiu
  • Rozelle, Scott

Abstract

When seeking to build high quality and cost-effective infrastructure in rural villages, a fundamental question is: Who is better at doing so? Should the village leadership or a government agency above the village finance and/or manage the construction of the infrastructure project? To answer this question, we surveyed all rural road projects in 101 villages in rural China between 2003 and 2007 and measured the quality and per kilometer cost of each road. According to our analysis, road quality was higher when more of the project funds came from the government agency above. Moreover, projects had lower cost per kilometer when the village leaders managed the road construction. Overall, our findings suggest that to build high quality and cost-effective rural roads village leaders and government agencies should collaborate and each specialize in a specific project role.

Suggested Citation

  • Wong, Ho Lun & Luo, Renfu & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2013. "Providing quality infrastructure in rural villages: The case of rural roads in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 262-274.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:103:y:2013:i:c:p:262-274
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.03.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304387813000321
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.03.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yamauchi, Futoshi & Muto, Megumi & Chowdhury, Shyamal K. & Dewina, Reno & Sumaryanto, Sony, 2009. "Spatial Networks, Labor Supply and Income Dynamics: Evidence from Indonesian Villages," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51571, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. de Brauw, Alan & Huang, Jikun & Rozelle, Scott & Zhang, Linxiu & Zhang, Yigang, 2002. "The Evolution of China's Rural Labor Markets During the Reforms," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 329-353, June.
    3. Shahidur R. Khandker & Zaid Bakht & Gayatri B. Koolwal, 2009. "The Poverty Impact of Rural Roads: Evidence from Bangladesh," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(4), pages 685-722, July.
    4. Faguet, Jean-Paul, 2004. "Does decentralization increase government responsiveness to local needs?: Evidence from Bolivia," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3-4), pages 867-893, March.
    5. Calvo, C.M., 1998. "Options for Managing and Financing Rural Transport Infrastructure," Papers 411, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    6. Stefan Dercon & Daniel O. Gilligan & John Hoddinott & Tassew Woldehanna, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1007-1021.
    7. John Hoddinott, 2002. "Participation and Poverty Reduction: An Analytical Framework and Overview of the Issues," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 11(1), pages 146-168, March.
    8. Humplick, Frannie & Moini-Araghi, Azadeh, 1996. "Decentralized structures for providing roads : a cross-country comparison," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1658, The World Bank.
    9. Steven C. Deller & Carl H. Nelson, 1991. "Measuring the Economic Efficiency of Producing Rural Road Services," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 73(1), pages 194-201.
    10. Adato, Michelle & Hoddinott, John & Haddad, Lawrence James, 2005. "Power, politics, and performance: community participation in South African public works programs," Research reports 143, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. Ahmed, Raisuddin & Hossain, Mahabub, 1990. "Developmental impact of rural infrastructure in Bangladesh:," Research reports 83, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    12. Wang, Xiaobing & Huang, Jikun & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2011. "The rise of migration and the fall of self employment in rural China's labor market," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 573-584.
    13. Linxiu Zhang & Renfu Luo & Chengfang Liu & Scott Rozelle, 2006. "Investing in Rural China: Tracking China's Commitment to Modernization," Chinese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(4), pages 57-84, August.
    14. Shenggen Fan & Peter Hazell, 2001. "Returns to Public Investments in the Less-Favored Areas of India and China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 83(5), pages 1217-1222.
    15. Fan, Shenggen & Chan-Kang, Connie, 2004. "Road development, economic growth, and poverty reduction in China," DSGD discussion papers 12, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    16. Minten, Bart & Kyle, Steven, 1999. "The effect of distance and road quality on food collection, marketing margins, and traders' wages: evidence from the former Zaire," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 467-495, December.
    17. Deininger, Klaus & Mpuga, Paul, 2005. "Does Greater Accountability Improve the Quality of Public Service Delivery? Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 171-191, January.
    18. World Bank, 2000. "World Development Indicators 2000," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13828, December.
    19. Escobal D'Angelo, Javier & Ponce, Carmen, 2002. "The benefits of rural roads: enhancing income opportunities for the rural poor," Working Papers 37751, Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE).
    20. Jerry Lebo & Dieter Schelling, 2001. "Design and Appraisal of Rural Transport Infrastructure : Ensuring Basic Access for Rural Communities," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13911, December.
    21. Benjamin A. Olken, 2007. "Monitoring Corruption: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 115, pages 200-249.
    22. Fock, Achim & Wong, Christine, 2008. "Financing rural development for a harmonious society in China : recent reforms in public finance and their prospects," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4693, The World Bank.
    23. Piet Buys & Uwe Deichmann & David Wheeler, 2010. "Road Network Upgrading and Overland Trade Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa-super- †," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 19(3), pages 399-432, June.
    24. Deller, Steven C & Chicoine, David L & Walzer, Norman, 1988. "Economies of Size and Scope in Rural Low-Volume Roads," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 70(3), pages 459-465, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wong, Ho Lun & Wang, Yu & Luo, Renfu & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2017. "Local governance and the quality of local infrastructure: Evidence from village road projects in rural China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 119-132.
    2. Dan Pan & Ruiyao Ying & Zuhui Huang, 2017. "Determinants of Residential Solid Waste Management Services Provision: A Village-Level Analysis in Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Kumari, Anita & Kumar Sharma, Anil, 2017. "Infrastructure financing and development: A bibliometric review," International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 49-65.
    4. Jincan Hu & Junyi Liang & Litao Tian & Shaojian Wang, 2023. "Measurement and Coupling Coordination of High-Quality Development in Guangdong Province of China: A Spatiotemporal Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-20, February.
    5. Zhong, Taiyang & Zhang, Xiaoling & Huang, Xianjin & Liu, Fang, 2019. "Blessing or curse? Impact of land finance on rural public infrastructure development," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 130-141.
    6. Jintao Zhan & Yubei Ma & Wuyang Hu & Chao Chen & Qinan Lu, 2022. "Enhancing rural income through public agricultural R&D: Spatial spillover and infrastructure thresholds," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 1083-1107, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wong, Ho Lun & Wang, Yu & Luo, Renfu & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2017. "Local governance and the quality of local infrastructure: Evidence from village road projects in rural China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 119-132.
    2. Kumari, Anita & Kumar Sharma, Anil, 2017. "Infrastructure financing and development: A bibliometric review," International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 49-65.
    3. Asian Development Bank Institute, 2017. "Myanmar Transport Sector Policy Note: Rural Roads and Access," Working Papers id:11782, eSocialSciences.
    4. Shin Takada & So Morikawa & Rika Idei & Hironori Kato, 2021. "Impacts of improvements in rural roads on household income through the enhancement of market accessibility in rural areas of Cambodia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2857-2881, October.
    5. Qin, Yu & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2016. "The Road to Specialization in Agricultural Production: Evidence from Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-16.
    6. Suchi Kapoor Malhotra & Howard White & Nina Ashley O. Dela Cruz & Ashrita Saran & John Eyers & Denny John & Ella Beveridge & Nina Blöndal, 2021. "Studies of the effectiveness of transport sector interventions in low‐ and middle‐income countries: An evidence and gap map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(4), December.
    7. María Adelaida Ortega, 2018. "Conectando mercados: vías rurales y producción agrícola en el contexto de una economía dual," Documentos CEDE 16818, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    8. Antonio Estache, 2010. "A survey of impact evaluations of infrastructure projects, programs and policies," Working Papers ECARES 2010_005, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Krishnan, Pramila & Gunning, Jan Willem & Mengistu, Andualem Telaye, 2018. "Fading Choice: Transport Costs and Variety in Consumer Goods," CEPR Discussion Papers 12910, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Vandercasteelen, Joachim & Beyene, Seneshaw Tamru & Minten, Bart & Swinnen, Johan, 2018. "Cities and agricultural transformation in Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 383-399.
    11. Elodie Djemai & Andrew E. Clark & Conchita D'Ambrosio, 2020. "Take the Highway? Paved Roads and Well-Being in Africa," Working Papers DT/2020/11, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    12. Diether Beuermann & Maria Amelina, 2014. "Does Participatory Budgeting Improve Decentralized Public Service Delivery?," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 87095, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Stifel, David & Minten, Bart, 2017. "Market Access, Well-being, and Nutrition: Evidence from Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 229-241.
    14. Diether W. Beuermann & Maria Amelina, 2018. "Does participatory budgeting improve decentralized public service delivery? Experimental evidence from rural Russia," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 339-379, November.
    15. World Bank Group, "undated". "Africa's Pulse, No. 14, October 2016," World Bank Publications - Reports 25097, The World Bank Group.
    16. Stifel, David & Minten, Bart, 2015. "Market Access, Welfare, and Nutrition: Evidence from Ethiopia:," ESSP working papers 77, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Chamberlin, Jordan & Jayne, T.S., 2013. "Unpacking the Meaning of ‘Market Access’: Evidence from Rural Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 245-264.
    18. Ulimwengu, John & Funes, Jose & Headey, Derek & You, Liangzhi, 2009. "Paving the way for development?: The impact of transport infrastructure on agricultural production and poverty reduction in the Democratic Republic of Congo," IFPRI discussion papers 944, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    19. Kenneth Fortson & Randall Blair & Kathryn Gonzalez, 2015. "Evaluation of a Rural Road Rehabilitation Project in Armenia," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 3dad6663ad0343f28cb24633d, Mathematica Policy Research.
    20. Hirvonen, Kalle & Sohnesen, Thomas Pave & Bundervoet, Tom, 2020. "Impact of Ethiopia’s 2015 drought on child undernutrition," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Decentralization; Quality infrastructure; Project finance; Project management; Road quality; Rural China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:103:y:2013:i:c:p:262-274. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/devec .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.