Road Development and Poverty Alleviation: the Case Study of Southern Punjab

Abstract

Present study examines the impact of road infrastructure
development on poverty alleviation in rural areas of Southern
Punjab. This study used secondary data of Pakistan Social and
Living Standard Measurement (PSLM) that was collected in 2008-
09 from eleven districts of Southern Punjab. The results of
regression analysis reported that the incidence of poverty is higher
in remote areas and people have limited access to basic needs. It is
clear from the results that the households living in those villages
which are near to the main markets can meet the basic needs easily
as compare to the villages which are far from the main markets. It
is also reported that the households living away from the bus
stands have limited mobility and less ability to meet the required
basic needs to spend a quality life. Similarly, if basic health units
are situated at distant points form the villages, the long distances
can limited the access of households to basic health facilities and
drag them below the poverty line. Finally, it can be concluded that
better road infrastructure can increase social inclusion, improve to
economic opportunity and access to basic needs in rural areas of
South Punjab. In this context development of road infrastructure,
especially rural roads development is a win-win situation for
poverty alleviation in Pakistan.