Rural roads, agricultural extension, and productivity

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Development Economics
Year: 2023
Volume: 162
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Low agricultural productivity is a persistent challenge for developing economies. Expansions of rural roads and agricultural extension, separately, have been proposed as solutions with mixed effectiveness. In this paper, I show that it is critical to consider roads and extension together due to their strong complementarities. I study the concurrent but independent expansions of rural roads and extension in Ethiopia, and find that, while ineffective in isolation, access to both a road and extension increases productivity by 6%. The key mechanisms include increased take up of advice, adoption of modern inputs, and advantageous shifts in crop choice and labor allocation.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:deveco:v:162:y:2023:i:c:s0304387823000032
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25