Joining the Mainstream: Impact of Transport Investment on Poverty Reduction

This presentation assesses the impact of selected transport infrastructure investments on poverty reduction, based on field research in India, Thailand, and the People’s Republic of China.

In addition to their impacts on income dimensions of poverty, transport infrastructure investments are shown to have significant impacts on non-income dimensions such as health, education, personal security and community participation. However, these impacts are sometimes negative. For some of the poorest of the poor, transport improvements may produce net negative effects on welfare. This calls for careful analysis and mitigation.

The presentation provides a number of policy recommendations and proposed operational-level refinements for increasing the poverty reduction impact of transport investments. Areas for future research are likewise identified.

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