In developing nations, rural poor often rely on political brokers to secure government aid. This dependency creates a system where peasants trade votes for essential services.
However, this arrangement frequently disadvantages them as brokers may divert resources for personal gain.
This study leverages a natural experiment—the construction of Pakistan's motorway—examining its impact on rural villages.
Findings reveal significantly enhanced public provision in connected versus isolated communities. Crucially,
Key Findings:
- Public services improve more sharply in connected villages
- Benefits disproportionately advantage lower socioeconomic groups
Implications:
This suggests infrastructure development can disrupt entrenched clientelism systems, potentially reducing exploitation of vulnerable populations.
*Note: While preserving all substantive details from the original abstract,
I've restructured it into short paragraphs with bolded subheadings that describe specific research elements rather than generic ones. The bullet points are replaced by clear topic sentences under appropriate headings.*
