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1 – 10 of over 12000Naod Mekonnen Anega and Bamlaku Alemu
This study empirically examines the impact of rural roads on consumption of households in Ethiopia.
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically examines the impact of rural roads on consumption of households in Ethiopia.
Design/methodology/approach
Both descriptive statistics and econometric techniques are used to address the aforementioned objective. Specifically, quantile regression, fixed- and random-effect models are used to understand the impact of rural road quality on welfare.
Findings
The econometric analysis revealed that improving the quality of rural roads and/or creating access to all-weather roads raises households' average real consumption per capita by as much as 10%. The other transport indicator – mode of transport – also has a positive effect on real consumption per capita. The result indicated that real consumption per capita for households using the traditional mode of transport would increase by as much as 7% compared to those using foot as a major mode of transport. However, the fixed quantile estimation result revealed that rural road access has a positive and significant effect on consumption per capita only for the 0.8th and 0.9th percentiles, indicating that the access to roads is not pro-poor.
Research limitations/implications
Improving rural roads to a level of all-weather road standards and provision of agricultural transport facilities should be strategic priorities.
Originality/value
This study provides empirical evidence pertinent to the effect rural mobility has on the consumption of households as well as the pro-poorness of such investments in rural settings.
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Jyotirmoy Dalal, Pratap K.J. Mohapatra and Gopal Chandra Mitra
Poor conditions of rural roads in most developing countries have hindered the growth of their rural economy. Investments from government and other sources in rural road projects…
Abstract
Purpose
Poor conditions of rural roads in most developing countries have hindered the growth of their rural economy. Investments from government and other sources in rural road projects are inadequate, leading often to political, rather than socio‐economic, considerations in allocating funds to specific projects. Realizing this, many donor organizations demand an unbiased study for prioritizing rural roads for funds allocation. This requires prioritizing rural roads on a rational basis. This paper seeks to examine this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐stage AHP model is developed considering several socio‐economic criteria relevant to a road and the region through which it passes. The model is exercised in a group‐decision environment. The final scores indicate a list of roads in decreasing order of priority.
Findings
The framework, when applied to 178 rural roads in two districts of Orissa, a relatively backward state of India, yields a ranked‐order list of roads.
Research limitations/implications
Experts' judgments during pair‐wise comparison are associated with imprecision. Fuzzy AHP is a distinct alternative. Possible dependency among criteria has been ignored. Use of Analytic Network Process (ANP) can overcome problems arising from such dependencies.
Practical implications
Funds that are limited can be allotted to the highly ranked roads.
Originality/value
The paper presents application of AHP for ranking of rural roads in a developing country; development of a generic road prioritization framework; and devising a group decision‐making procedure that combines the best features of the group consensus and geometric mean methods.
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Akhilesh Nautiyal and Sunil Sharma
A large number of roads have been constructed in the rural areas of India to connect habitations with the nearest major roads. With time, the pavements of these roads have…
Abstract
Purpose
A large number of roads have been constructed in the rural areas of India to connect habitations with the nearest major roads. With time, the pavements of these roads have deteriorated and they need some kind of maintenance, although they all do not need maintenance at the same time, as they have all not deteriorated to the same level. Hence, they have to be prioritized for maintenance.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to present a scientific methodology for prioritizing pavement maintenance, the factors affecting prioritization and the relative importance of each were identified through an expert survey. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to scientifically establish weight (importance) of each factor based on its relative importance over other factors. The proposed methodology was validated through a case study of 203 low volume rural roads in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. Ranking of these roads in order of their priority for maintenance was presented as the final result.
Findings
The results show that pavement distresses, traffic volume, type of connectivity and the socioeconomic facilities located along a road are the four major factors to be considered in determining the priority of a road for maintenance.
Research limitations/implications
The methodology provides a comprehensive, scientific and socially responsible pavement maintenance prioritization method which will automatically select roads for maintenance without any bias.
Practical implications
Timely maintenance of roads will also save budgetary expenditure of restoration/reconstruction, leading to enhancement of road service life. The government will not only save money but also provide timely benefit to the needy population.
Social implications
Road transportation is the primary mode of inland transportation in rural areas. Timely maintenance of the pavements will be of great help to the socioeconomic development of rural areas.
Originality/value
The proposed methodology lays special emphasis on rural roads which are small in length, but large in number. Instead of random, a scientific method for selection of roads for maintenance will be of great help to the public works department for better management of rural road network.
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Tharun Dolla and Boeing Laishram
Effective maintenance of rural roads is an essential aspect of public infrastructure delivery. However, governments failed to upkeep the built infrastructure. Accordingly, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective maintenance of rural roads is an essential aspect of public infrastructure delivery. However, governments failed to upkeep the built infrastructure. Accordingly, this study addresses this pressing issue by identifying attributes, skills and resources for asset maintenance. To do this, collaborative governance, a recent plausible alternative in the public policy literature, is used.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature review proffered 29 strategies for operationalising collaborative governance principles. A questionnaire survey with the public sector representatives comprising top-level, mid-level and lower-level engineers was used to test the applicability of these strategies in rural infrastructure maintenance of India. The rated responses concerning strategies were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to determine the underlying structure for reducing the dimensions to make them practically operational.
Findings
The exploratory factor analysis showed that six dimensions play an essential role in initiating and promoting collaboration. This parsimonious framework suggests building a common collaborative framework, communicating vision and fostering communities, leadership, increasing the industry's capacity, transparency of power and responsibilities, and technical and financial resources. Thus, governments’ initiatives to build collaboration is most prominent in initiating and sustaining a successful collaboration.
Practical implications
The practical strategies reinforced through this study can formalise self-initiated regimes or independently convened regimes to a federally directed regime well within the scope of the national programmes. Thus, findings primarily have considerable implications to emerging countries where reducing the unit costs to save the public exchequer from wastage and preventing assets from becoming dilapidate are essential.
Originality/value
Public sector practitioners often lack the essential skills and innovative thinking and thus offered new knowledge would transform the traditional practices in infrastructure maintenance. Theoretically, the present research advances the understanding of structures and processes for collaborative governance theory to non-contractual infrastructure asset management literature.
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David Moscoso-Sánchez, José María Nasarre-Sarmiento, Manuel Trujillo-Carmona, Manuel T. González-Fernández, Ana Luque-Gil, Víctor Sánchez-Sanz and Pablo Vidal-González
In this article, the authors analyse a complex social process affecting historic public paths in rural areas in southern Spain. Despite the fact that urban populations are…
Abstract
Purpose
In this article, the authors analyse a complex social process affecting historic public paths in rural areas in southern Spain. Despite the fact that urban populations are demanding the enhancement of this type of natural heritage for tourism, sports and recreational use, some parts of the network have been abandoned or usurped.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is multidisciplinary, comprising three interlinked studies. The cartographic study comprises an inventory of public paths in rural areas based on administrative sources. The legal study analyses local, regional and national regulations governing agricultural, environmental, heritage, sports and tourism uses of the infrastructure. The sociological study analyses social discourses on the uses of public paths, and identifies conflicts between farmers, landowners, environmentalists, sportspeople and tourists.
Findings
The preliminary results identified an important public paths network in Andalusia, approximately 160,000 km. The legal study found that there are laws regulating use, although local authorities do not monitor compliance or provide solutions to enhance management. The sociological study determined the attribution of environmental, cultural and economic value to public paths, but also the existence of conflicts between rural and urban populations.
Research limitations/implications
Given that this is ongoing research, only state of the art and some preliminary albeit sufficiently consistent results are presented.
Practical implications
The results could help to guide public policy and governance of public paths.
Social implications
Public paths promote rural development and a green/sustainable economy.
Originality/value
The research results and conclusions are original.
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