Prioritizing Rural Investments in Africa: A Hybrid Evaluation Approach Applied to Uganda

Original Article
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Abstract

Prioritizing public investments requires information on relative returns that is difficult to derive from disparate evaluation studies. This article presents a ‘hybrid’ approach that combines ex post evaluation data with an economywide model for experimenting ex ante with alternative investment portfolios within a consistent, structural framework. The approach is used to evaluate rural investments in Uganda. Agricultural research and extension services are found to be more effective at promoting economic growth and poverty reduction than either rural feeder roads or irrigation infrastructure. This suggests that the government’s recent shift in emphasis from extension services to irrigation may potentially reduce the overall benefits of its agricultural investment plan.

Keywords

public investments impact evaluation agricultural growth poverty Uganda Africa 

Abstract

Donner la priorité aux investissements publics exige des informations sur les rendements relatifs qui sont difficiles à tirer d’études d'évaluation disparates. Cet article présente une approche «hybride» qui combine les données d'évaluation a posteriori avec un modèle d'économie à l'échelle pour expérimenter ex ante avec des portefeuilles d'investissement alternatifs dans un cadre structurel cohérent. L'approche est utilisée pour évaluer les investissements ruraux en Ouganda. Les services de recherche et d’extension agricoles s’avèrent plus efficaces pour promouvoir la croissance économique et la réduction de la pauvreté que les routes de desserte rurales ou les infrastructures d'irrigation. Ceci suggère que le récent changement de priorité du gouvernement, des services d’extension à l'irrigation, pourrait réduire les avantages globaux de son plan d'investissement agricole.

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Copyright information

© European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.International Food Policy Research InstituteWashington DCUSA

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