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Priority Roads: the Political Economy of Africa's Interior-to-Coast Roads

Author

Listed:
  • Roberto Bonfatti

    (University of Padova; University of Nottingham)

  • Yuan Gu

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Steven (S.) Poelhekke

    (University of Auckland; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Abstract
Africa's interior-to-coast roads are well suited to export natural resources, but not to support regional trade. Are they the optimal response to geography and comparative advantage, or the result of suboptimal political distortions? We investigate the political determinants of road paving in West Africa across the 1965-2012 period. Controlling for geography and the endogeneity of democratization, we show that autocracies tend to connect natural resource deposits to ports, while the networks expanded in a less interior-to-coast way in periods of democracy. This result suggests that Africa's interior-to-coast roads are at least in part the result of suboptimal political distortions.Africa's interior-to-coast roads are well suited to export natural resources, but not to support regional trade. Are they the optimal response to geography and comparative advantage, or the result of suboptimal political distortions? We investigate the political determinants of road paving in West Africa across the 1965-2012 period. Controlling for geography and the endogeneity of democratization, we show that autocracies tend to connect natural resource deposits to ports, while the networks expanded in a less interior-to-coast way in periods of democracy. This result suggests that Africa's interior-to-coast roads are at least in part the result of suboptimal political distortions.

Suggested Citation

  • Roberto Bonfatti & Yuan Gu & Steven (S.) Poelhekke, 2019. "Priority Roads: the Political Economy of Africa's Interior-to-Coast Roads," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-006/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20190006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Abbasi ,Mansoureh & Lebrand,Mathilde Sylvie Maria & Mongoue,Arcady Bluette & Pongou,Roland & Zhang,Fan, 2022. "Roads, Electricity, and Jobs: Evidence of Infrastructure Complementarity in Sub-Saharan Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9976, The World Bank.
    2. Krantz, Sebastian, 2024. "Optimal investments in Africa's road network," Kiel Working Papers 2272, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), revised 2024.
    3. Lorz, Oliver, 2020. "Investment in trade facilitating infrastructure: A political-economy analysis," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    4. Lebrand,Mathilde Sylvie Maria, 2021. "Corridors without Borders in West Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9855, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    political economy; democracy; infrastructure; natural resources; development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development

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