How Does India’s Rural Roads Program Affect the Grassroots? Findings from a Survey in Upland Orissa
研究了印度农村全天候道路对家庭净产出价格、教育和健康的影响，发现道路提高了农产品价格、减少了因天气损失的学时、改善了急症就医及时性，且居民认为健康和教育收益至少与商业收益同等重要。
This paper analyzes the effects of all weather rural roads on households’ net output prices, education, and health in a poor region of India. Cross-section and before-and-after comparisons yield these findings: (1) net output prices were 5% or more higher; (2) fewer days of schooling were lost due to bad weather, largely because teachers had fewer absences; (3) the acutely sick received timelier treatment and more frequently in a hospital than the nearest primary clinic; and (4) respondents ranked the resulting benefits in the domains of health and education at least as highly as the “commercial” ones. <i></i>