IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i15p11834-d1208338.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Driving Sustainable Development: The Power of Vehicle-Based Services in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Clemens Pizzinini

    (Institute of Automotive Technology, Technical University Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany)

  • Emanuel D’Amico

    (Institute of Automotive Technology, Technical University Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany)

  • Korbinian Götz

    (Institute of Automotive Technology, Technical University Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany)

  • Markus Lienkamp

    (Institute of Automotive Technology, Technical University Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany)

Abstract

Vehicle-based services such as mobile health clinics can increase spatial accessibility in rural areas. In contrast to stationary infrastructure, vehicle-based services are flexible and can be less capital-intensive to initiate service supply. In particular, rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa experience insufficient access to essential public services necessary for sustainable human development. We consider vehicles as mobile service platforms capable of temporarily transporting service staff, goods, and functions necessary for service delivery spatially closer to rural demand locations. Despite these advantages, public authorities must perform a cost–benefit analysis before allocating resources to a vehicle-based service fleet. This paper analyzes which vehicle-based services beneficially influence the Sustainable Development Goals and quantify their potential for the sub-Saharah African region. Based on a criteria-based selection method, we parse 169 target formulations and extract a set of directly influential Sustainable Development Goals. The remaining goals are the starting point for a literature review to identify existing vehicle-based service concepts addressing the targets. Our evaluation reveals that vehicle-based services can enhance about 128 (76%) of all targets and 16 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Half of these targets require the delivery of consumable goods, whereas 59 (35%) of the Sustainable Development Goal targets relate to the transportation of people, and 24 (14%) require access to a broader spectrum of functionality mounted on top of the vehicle, such as water pumps or refrigerators. In combination with publicly available data, we can identify the SDG for each African country with the greatest potential for a vehicle-based service intervention. Our approach enriches public project appraisals for systematical decision support between stationary and mobile infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Clemens Pizzinini & Emanuel D’Amico & Korbinian Götz & Markus Lienkamp, 2023. "Driving Sustainable Development: The Power of Vehicle-Based Services in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:11834-:d:1208338
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/11834/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/11834/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wellenius, Bjorn & Foster, Vivien & Malmberg-Calvo, Christina, 2004. "Private provision of rural infrastructure services: competing for subsidies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3365, The World Bank.
    2. Asongu, Simplice & Amari, Mouna & Jarboui, Anis & Mouakhar, Khaireddine, 2021. "ICT dynamics for gender inclusive intermediary education: Minimum poverty and inequality thresholds in developing countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(5).
    3. Doerner, Karl & Focke, Axel & Gutjahr, Walter J., 2007. "Multicriteria tour planning for mobile healthcare facilities in a developing country," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(3), pages 1078-1096, June.
    4. Sergej Lisowski & Markus Berger & Justus Caspers & Klaus Mayr-Rauch & Georg Bäuml & Matthias Finkbeiner, 2020. "Criteria-Based Approach to Select Relevant Environmental SDG Indicators for the Automobile Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Gyula Dörgő & Viktor Sebestyén & János Abonyi, 2018. "Evaluating the Interconnectedness of the Sustainable Development Goals Based on the Causality Analysis of Sustainability Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-26, October.
    6. Fox-Rushby, Julia A. & Foord, Frances, 1996. "Costs, effects and cost-effectiveness analysis of a mobile maternal health care service in West Kiang, The Gambia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 123-143, February.
    7. Sachs,Jeffrey D. & Kroll,Christian & Lafortune,Guillame & Fuller,Grayson & Woelm,Finn, 2022. "Sustainable Development Report 2022," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781009210089, January.
    8. Arnold Tukker, 2004. "Eight types of product–service system: eight ways to sustainability? Experiences from SusProNet," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(4), pages 246-260, July.
    9. Eda Yücel & F. Sibel Salman & Burçin Bozkaya & Cemre Gökalp, 2020. "A data-driven optimization framework for routing mobile medical facilities," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 291(1), pages 1077-1102, August.
    10. Roger Vickerman, 2007. "Cost — Benefit Analysis and Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects: State of the Art and Challenges," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 34(4), pages 598-610, August.
    11. Zvoleff, Alex & Kocaman, Ayse Selin & Huh, Woonghee Tim & Modi, Vijay, 2009. "The impact of geography on energy infrastructure costs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 4066-4078, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pablo De Roulet & Jérôme Chenal & Jean-Claude Baraka Munyaka & Uttam Pudasaini, 2024. "Mapping Rural Mobility in the Global South: Case Studies of Participatory GIS Approach for Assessments of Daily Movement Needs and Practice in Nepal and Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-24, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chenmei Teng & Poshan Yu & Liwen Liu, 2024. "A cooperative optimization model and enhanced algorithm for guided strategies in emergency mobile facilities," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Pashapour, Amirreza & Günneç, Dilek & Salman, F. Sibel & Yücel, Eda, 2024. "Capacitated Mobile Facility Location Problem with Mobile Demand: Efficient Relief Aid Provision to En Route Refugees," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    3. Nine Klaassen & Arno Scheepens & Bas Flipsen & Joost Vogtlander, 2020. "Eco-Efficient Value Creation of Residential Street Lighting Systems by Simultaneously Analysing the Value, the Costs and the Eco-Costs during the Design and Engineering Phase," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    4. Selin Kocaman, Ayse & Abad, Carlos & Troy, Tara J. & Tim Huh, Woonghee & Modi, Vijay, 2016. "A stochastic model for a macroscale hybrid renewable energy system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 688-703.
    5. Rekha Rao-Nicholson & Htwe Htwe Thein & Yifan Zhong, 2024. "A thematic analysis of the links between multinational enterprises’ corporate social responsibility and the Sustainable Development Goals in Myanmar," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(2), pages 203-223, June.
    6. Huang, Youlin & Qian, Lixian, 2021. "Consumer adoption of electric vehicles in alternative business models," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    7. Kley, Fabian & Lerch, Christian & Dallinger, David, 2011. "New business models for electric cars--A holistic approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3392-3403, June.
    8. Kornsorn Srikulnath & Nattakan Ariyaraphong & Worapong Singchat & Thitipong Panthum & Artem Lisachov & Syed Farhan Ahmad & Kyudong Han & Narongrit Muangmai & Prateep Duengkae, 2022. "Asian Elephant Evolutionary Relationships: New Perspectives from Mitochondrial D-Loop Haplotype Diversity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Fabio Antonialli & Rodrigo Gandia & Joel Sugano & Isabelle Nicolaï & Arthur Neto, 2019. "Business Platforms For Autonomous Vehicles Within Urban Mobility," Post-Print halshs-03687640, HAL.
    10. Wiebke Reim & David Sjödin & Vinit Parida, 2021. "Circular business model implementation: A capability development case study from the manufacturing industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 2745-2757, September.
    11. Satar Bakhsh & Md Shabbir Alam & Wei Zhang, 2024. "Green finance and Sustainable Development Goals: is there a role for geopolitical uncertainty?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1-30, August.
    12. Siri Jagstedt & Magnus Persson, 2019. "Using Platform Strategies In The Development Of Integrated Product-Service Solutions," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(04), pages 1-36, May.
    13. Fabio Antonialli & Bruna Habib Cavazza & Rodrigo Gandia & Isabelle Nicolaï & Arthur de Miranda Neto & Joel Sugano & André Luiz Zambalde, 2020. "Human or machine driving? Comparing autonomous with traditional vehicles value curves and motives to use a car," Post-Print halshs-03687616, HAL.
    14. Pan, Jeh-Nan & Nguyen, Hung Thi Ngoc, 2015. "Achieving customer satisfaction through product–service systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 247(1), pages 179-190.
    15. Rönnberg Sjödin, David & Parida, Vinit & Kohtamäki, Marko, 2016. "Capability configurations for advanced service offerings in manufacturing firms: Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 5330-5335.
    16. Holz-Rau, Christian & Scheiner, Joachim, 2011. "Safety and travel time in cost-benefit analysis: A sensitivity analysis for North Rhine-Westphalia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 336-346, March.
    17. Yu, Rong & Li, Jianhong, 2024. "Does fintech influence sustainable development under natural resource constraints: insights from 270 Chinese cities," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    18. David Opresnik & Maurizio Fiasché & Marco Taisch & Manuel Hirsch, 0. "An evolving fuzzy inference system for extraction of rule set for planning a product–service strategy," Information Technology and Management, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-17.
    19. Tommaso Elli & Alessandra Spagnoli & Valeria Maria Iannilli, 2024. "Mapping Service-Based Retailing to Improve Sustainability Practices in the Fashion Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-20, August.
    20. De Boeck, Kim & Decouttere, Catherine & Jónasson, Jónas Oddur & Vandaele, Nico, 2022. "Vaccine supply chains in resource-limited settings: Mitigating the impact of rainy season disruptions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 301(1), pages 300-317.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:11834-:d:1208338. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.