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The Dark Side of Infrastructure: Roads, Repression, and Land in Authoritarian Paraguay

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  • Gonzalez, Felipe
  • Miquel-Florensa, Josepa
  • Prem, Mounu
  • Straub, Stephane

Abstract

Transportation infrastructure is associated with economic development, but it can also be used for social control and to benefit the governing elite. We explore the connection between the construction of road networks, state-led repression, and illegal land allocations in the longest dictatorship in South America: Alfredo Stroessner’s military regime in Paraguay. Using novel panel data from the truth and reconciliation commission, we show that proximity to newly constructed roads facilitated state-led repression, illegal allocation of agricultural plots to dictatorship allies, and hindered sustainable economic development in the following decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Gonzalez, Felipe & Miquel-Florensa, Josepa & Prem, Mounu & Straub, Stephane, 2024. "The Dark Side of Infrastructure: Roads, Repression, and Land in Authoritarian Paraguay," CEPR Discussion Papers 19124, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19124
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Paraguay;

    JEL classification:

    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • N76 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N46 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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