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Policy Instrument:

Access to basic mobility and transport, information services, and infrastructure development

Keywords: Mobility & Transport; Infrastructure; Digitalization; Rural Development; Market Access
Definition
Programs that promote access to basic mobility and transportation services, communication networks and inclusive infrastructure with the objective of enabling individuals and communities to move, access information, access markets and support economic and social development by facilitating productive insertion into economic supply chains, access to labor market opportunities, and integration in general social activities. Also, infrastructure programs may protect vulnerable populations from natural disasters and enhance preparedness against climate-related extreme events.


Rationale
Several low-income households are located in distant places with respect to urban centers, markets or economic facilities. In many of these locations, there is scarce availability of public basic services, public transportation, and often roads of access are badly maintained. For specific groups, such as people with disabilities and the elderly, many sidewalks and public transportation systems lack accessible infrastructure to ensure their safety and ease of use. This hinders those that are already worse off from accessing jobs, wholesale and retail markets, as well as other economic opportunities. It also poses barriers to the access of education and health services that could improve the vulnerable persons’ capabilities and welfare.

For those living in rural areas, the situation may be even worse. Several smallholder farmers and other rural producers lack the access to off-farm jobs and to basic services, but also the means to adequately sell the surplus of their production. Many depend on middlemen, or face long-distance trips to access procurement markets, decreasing their margins of profitability. More than that, non-central areas often have poor connectivity with communication networks, i.e.: telephone, television, and internet. Many do not even have access to electricity. This poses a barrier to enable the flow of information and connection between individuals, businesses and institutions, preempting low-income families to fully integrate in both social and economic cycles, thus making them miss opportunities to escape hunger and poverty. This issue has gained more relevance in the past years, in which the increasing digitalization of markets and even of public services exclude those that do not have access to broadband internet or that have outdated electronic gadgets. The improvement of infrastructure with the construction and maintenance of fundamental facilities and services, such as roads, bridges, marketplaces, public buildings, energy grids that support smallholder agriculture, economic activities, sustainable development, and improve quality of life is essential to guarantee conditions for a fair fight against hunger and poverty that does not leave anyone behind.


Key interventions

There are many areas for infrastructure programs that support the lives of the poorest. A non-exhaustive list is provided below:

Transportation and Mobility:

  • Expansion and improvement of public transportation networks and fleets (e.g.: trains, subways or metros, buses), especially in rural areas and underprivileged neighborhoods;
  • Road pavement and maintenance in the peripheries and rural areas;
  • Expansion and improvement of active mobility and road safety in cities (e.g.: pedestrian facilities, cycle networks, bikeshare systems), with focus on low-income neighborhoods and areas;
  • School buses and ambulances serving public services with no out-of-pocket expenses;
  • Dedicated shuttles transporting the most disadvantaged workers to industries and services centers;
  • Dedicated shuttles transporting patients to medical visits and exams, especially those living in poor suburbs with the worst access to public transport networks;
  • Investments in freight and cargo modes to expand procurement markets to remote and under-connected rural areas (e.g.: trucks, trains, pick-ups, boats, vehicle hubs);
  • Whenever possible to intervene in urban planning, spatial development strategies that foster compactness, polycentrism, and mixed land use through infill and planned urban extension should be prioritized.


Information and Communications Technology, and Electricity access:

  • Expansion and improvement of electricity, phone, television and broadband internet networks towards underserved zones;
  • Provision of social computer centers, preferably in rural areas and poor neighborhoods;
  • Installation of computers in public schools, public hospitals, and public administration offices;
  • Tablets and computers distribution to the under-privileged;
  • Distribution of digital television (DTV) signal converters to low-income households;
  • Digitalization of public services provision, including easier and accessible applications for social programs;
  • Monitoring of risky weather and extreme climate events, and development and management of warning systems;
  • Expansion of electricity transmission lines in  rural communities, and cities;
  • Construction and operation of mini and small power plants in remote areas that are not served by the integrated electricity systems.

Poor and food insecure communities and families living in underserved areas, with a special focus on rural areas and urban peripheries. For example:

Rural communities:

  • smallholder farmers;
  • small and medium enterprises and cooperatives;
  • female-led agricultural groups;
  • pastoralists;
  • fishermen;
  • forest dwellers;
  • indigenous populations;
  • children and young students;
  • elderly people;
  • persons with disabilities.

Urban communities:

  • suburbs residents;
  • poor communities in the outskirts of cities;
  • residents of informal settlements;
  • slum dwellers;
  • children and young students;
  • elderly people;
  • persons with disabilities.

Limits

  • Financial Constraints: Developing countries frequently face limited financial resources, especially limited fiscal space for large country-level big investments, which restricts large-scale infrastructure investments.
  • Technical Capacity: Insufficient local technical expertise, from project design to maintenance, often hampers the quality and sustainability of infrastructure projects. Limited access to modern technology and skilled labor can lead to delays or the use of suboptimal construction practices.
  • Political and Governance Challenges: Weak governance structures, corruption, and bureaucratic inefficiencies can stall infrastructure development. In some cases, lack of political stability or frequent policy shifts can disrupt long-term infrastructure planning.
  • Environmental and Social Constraints: Infrastructure projects often face environmental and social limitations, particularly in areas of rich biodiversity, indigenous populations, or vulnerable communities. Ensuring environmentally sound practices and protecting communities' rights can limit the scope of development or increase project costs.

Risks

  • Economic Risks: Macroeconomic instability, inflation, and currency fluctuations can raise costs, delay project completion, or affect the availability of materials. For developing countries with unstable economies, even minor shocks can significantly impact infrastructure projects.
  • Operational Risks: Poor maintenance practices and a lack of operational readiness can lead to rapid deterioration of infrastructure. Developing countries often face challenges in sustaining infrastructure investments over time, as maintenance budgets and capacities are frequently inadequate.
  • Environmental Risks: Climate change-related risks, such as floods, droughts, or rising sea levels, can severely damage infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable regions. Infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive areas also runs the risk of exacerbating environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, or community displacement.
  • Social Risks: Social discontent or opposition from local communities, especially those affected by displacement or environmental damage, can lead to protests, delays, or project abandonment. Unaddressed social risks can undermine the long-term success of infrastructure investments.
  • Corruption and Mismanagement: Corruption and misallocation of funds remain significant risks in developing countries. Corruption can lead to project cost overruns, reduced quality of infrastructure, and failure to meet project deadlines.

Contingency Measures

  • Diversified Funding Mechanisms: To mitigate financial constraints, developing countries should pursue a diversified portfolio of funding sources, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), concessional loans, and development bonds. Engaging private sector stakeholders ensures a more resilient financial base for long-term infrastructure projects.
  • Capacity Building and Technical Assistance: Investments in technical training, capacity building, and knowledge transfer are vital to overcoming technical limitations.
  • Strengthening Governance and Anti-Corruption Measures: Transparency initiatives, independent auditing mechanisms, and community participation in monitoring processes should be integrated to reduce the risks of corruption and ensure project accountability.
  • Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: ensuring adherence to environmental regulations, and conducting thorough environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before project initiation. Whenever possible, adopting nature-based solutions.
  • Social Impact Assessments and Community Engagement: Involvement of affected communities in the planning process, as well as social impact assessments (SIAs), can help address concerns related to displacement or environmental damage. Compensation and resettlement plans should be transparent and fair to all affected parties.
  • Emergency and Disaster Management Plans: Conducting risk assessments for natural disasters, as well as establishing emergency funds and insurance mechanisms to address unforeseen events that may cause infrastructure failure.
c) support access to basic services (education, health, water and sanitation and housing), productive assets, appropriate technology (prioritizing low-carbon options), information, integrated social and economic inclusion programmes, skill building (including technical assistance and extension services in rural areas), financial inclusion, decent employment creation and access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food (e.g.,home-grown school meal programmes) (SDG targets 1.4, 2.1 and 2.2), d) Contribute to addressing discrimination against women that leads to poverty, hunger and malnutrition such as differences in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity between men and women, absence of women equal rights to economic resources, as well as of access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws (SDG targets 5.a1 and 5.a.2), or contribute to recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate (SDG 5.4), e) target smallholder farmers (family farmers, forest dependent groups, fisherfolks, pastoralists) and among them those more likely to be left behind (e.g. women, youth, elderly, indigenous populations, communities which are land-locked or living in isolated areas, pastoralists, fishers, forest dwellers) with a view to increasing their productivity and incomes through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, remittances and diaspora contributions, access to credit and markets, including institutional markets, and opportunities for value addition as well as non-farm employment (SDG target 2.3) and promoting rural and territorial development, and h) reduce the exposure and vulnerability and increase the resilience of poor and vulnerable populations to climate related-extreme events and social, economic, and environmental shocks and disasters, as well as their capacity to properly respond to these shocks, when they occur (SDG targets 1.5 and 2.4)

SDG 5: Gender equality

  • Target 5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

  • Target 7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

  • Target 8.5 - By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.

SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

  • Target 9.1 - Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
  • Target 9.c - Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.2 - By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
  • Target 11.7 - By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
  • Target 11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.