Ruhr Economic Papers

Ruhr Economic Papers #628
Infrastructure and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa – A Review
by Jörg Peters
RWI, 08/2016, 9 S./p., 8 Euro, ISBN 978-3-86788-730-4 DOI: 10.4419/86788730
downloadAbstract
This paper reviews the book “Infrastructure and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Antonio Estache and Quentin Wodon. The authors summarize the political debate on infrastructure policy in Africa in a very compelling and knowledgeable way and make a convincing case for pro-poor subsidies. Yet, this review points out two reservations: The evidence on the welfare enhancing benefits of infrastructure investments is less conclusive than suggested in the book. The book also misses out on the recent technological developments that enable the provision of decentralized services, which might render classical network based infrastructure partly redundant in the future.
JEL-Classification: H54, O13, O18, L91
Keywords: Electrification; road infrastructure; water and sanitation; telecommunication
Published as:
Peters, J. (2017), Infrastructure and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa - A Review. Journal of Development Studies 53 (3): 460-462. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2016.1233652