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Community Participation and the Quality of Rural Infrastructure in Ethiopia

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  • Zemzem Shigute

Abstract

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is one of the world’s largest food security programmes. The programme supports chronically food insecure rural households and at the same time promotes long-term food security through the creation of rural infrastructure. While studies on the PSNP have examined various features of the programme, there is limited knowledge on the quality and durability of infrastructure built through the programme. Ensuring and maintaining the quality of local public goods built through the PSNP and similar social protection programmes is a costly and recurring issue. Motivated by the long-term objective of the programme, this paper analyses the role played by a key design feature of the PSNP, that is, its Community-Based Participatory Watershed Development approach in influencing a project’s physical condition and its operational status. The paper is based on survey data and technical assessments provided by soil and water conservation (SWC) engineers covering a sample of 249 SWC projects located in 53 watershed communities. The survey is complemented by qualitative information gathered through interviews and discussions. The location of multiple projects, with differing levels of participation in the same watershed communities, permits estimation of the effects of community participation after controlling for community fixed effects. We find that projects in which beneficiaries play a larger role in project monitoring and evaluation are substantially less likely to be damaged and in better operational condition. These results support the idea that community participation translates into more durable infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Zemzem Shigute, 2022. "Community Participation and the Quality of Rural Infrastructure in Ethiopia," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 31(4), pages 355-383.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jafrec:v:31:y:2022:i:4:p:355-383.
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Scognamillo, Antonio & Mastrorillo, Marina & Ignaciuk, Adriana, 2024. "One for all and all for one: Increasing the adaptive capacity of households and communities through a public work programme," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Productive Safety Net Programme; community participation; quality rural infrastructure; Ethiopia; JEL classification: O12; O13; O18;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure

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