Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Economic Science, Faculty of Economics, University of Tabriz

2 Master of Economic Development Economics Department of Tabriz University

Abstract

Introduction
Poverty means the inability to meet one's basic needs and necessities of life such as food, clothing, housing, etc. The concept of basic needs varies based on time and place, and it includes the minimum needs to survive with an average standard of living. Poverty limits human development and has long-term and extensive harmful consequences (Arzerum Chiller, 2005). The poverty phenomenon has long accompanied mankind and has been one of the basic socio-economic issues of humans. In recent decades, despite the expansion of the implementation of economic reform, poverty and inequality are still seen in most countries. Also, due to their comprehensive consequences, poverty and inequality are nowadays the focus of international organizations, government officials, economists, and of course sociologists more than ever. The significance of poverty reduction has always been focused on in religious teachings. Besides, elimination of poverty and deprivation of members of society and ensuring their well-being has strong theoretical foundations in the Holy Quran and Islamic teachings. Therefore, reducing poverty and respecting human dignity must be operationally considered in economic and social plans (Hekmati Farid, 2013). Given these teachings and the importance of poverty reduction in the country's development, paying attention to the poor and supporting them can be seen in Articles 2, 3, 21, and 29 of the Constitution, as well as Article 43, which pays particular attention to erase poverty and deprivation from society.
Data and methodology
The general econometric model used for examining the impact of variables and factors affecting the rural poverty index with a focus on rural roads is described as follows:
 
i=1,2,…,28                     t=1,2,…,15
Where the variables are:
Sen = Amartya Sen poverty index (rural); calculation of the Sen index for rural areas of Iranian provinces
RAH = Existing rural road (km) of the Roads and Transportation Organization
El = Number of villages receiving electricity recorded by the Statistics Center of Iran
He = Number of rural health centers recorded by the Statistics Center of Iran
Educ = literacy rate of the rural population
AB = Number of villages with drinking water recorded by the Statistics Center of Iran
In = average rural household income
khc = Food expenditure of rural households
AGG = Agricultural sector growth rate
It must be mentioned that the model was estimated in two modes to examine the short-term and long-term effects of rural road development on the rural poverty index. Mode one occurs with the Rah and DRah variables, which represented the total number of the rural roads in the province in each year and the difference of rural roads in the province in each year, respectively. Mode one showed whether or not the development of rural roads each year has affected poverty. Also, the model was estimated in different modes with different variables to avoid the collinearity problem. This model was designed based on panel data and its coefficients were estimated using conventional panel data econometric methods.
Analysis of findings and conclusion
As mentioned earlier, in addition to the transportation of agricultural products, roads reduce the time of transportation and the final price of the produced goods. Safe and proper roads and transportation networks are essential for accessing other important centers of the country. Besides, according to many experts, the effect of this factor on the expansion of other developmental factors is undeniable and it paves the way for significant development in various ways.
Providing physical infrastructures plays an important role in the economic development process and facilitates accessing infrastructures such as education and health facilities, water supply, supply of electricity, and transportation, which in turn enhances welfare. Because it seems that the development of infrastructures such as investments in healthcare services, electricity and water supply, development of irrigation and drainage networks, construction of rural roads, and establishment of educational centers in rural areas improve income distribution and decrease the poverty rate.
According to the statistics of the National Roads and Transportation Organization, the length of rural roads (asphalt and dirt) was 100316 km in 2005, and it was increased to 128139 in 2016. Evidence obtained from comparing rural road expansion and poverty reduction showed that the development of rural roads can have a positive impact on poverty reduction.
Based on the research findings, it could be concluded that the expansion of rural roads affected rural poverty.
Results and Discussion
According to the results of estimations, the expansion of rural roads could not influence poverty in short term, but it could have a diverse influence on poverty, in the long run, meaning that it could reduce poverty.
The negative value of the constructed rural road coefficient indicated the negative effect of this variable on the Sen poverty index. In other words, an increase in the constructed rural road led to a reduction in rural poverty.
The coefficient associated with the average rural income had a negative value and significance, which indicated that the increase in the income of rural households throughout the studied years reduced rural poverty.
The coefficient related to investments in water resources had a negative value and was insignificant, which indicated that this type of investment did not have a direct effect on poverty reduction.
The coefficient associated with the variable of the number of villages supplied with electricity was significant and had a negative value, which was an indication of the inverse effect of this variable on poverty.
The coefficient of the effect of agricultural sector growth rate on rural poverty was insignificant, which was indicative of the direct effect of this variable on poverty.

Keywords

Main Subjects

-        ارشدی، علی؛ کریمی، عبدالعلی (1392)؛ بررسی وضعیت فقر  مطلق در ایران در سال­های برنامه اول تا چهارم توسعه، فصلنامه سیاست­های راهبردی و کلان، سال اول، شماره یک، صص 42-23
-        ارضروم­چیلر، نسرین (1384)؛ ابعاد گوناگون فقر درایران، مجموعه پژوهش­های اقتصادی، شماره 27
-        ابراهیمی، سعید، (1396)؛ ارزیابی اثرات سیاست مالی بر توزیع درآمد در ایران، رویکرد مدل خودرگرسیون برداری عامل افزوده (FAVAR)، رساله دکتری، دانشکده اقتصاد، دانشگاه تبریز
-        بانک جهانی، (1381)؛ مبارزه با فقر: گزارش توسعه جهانی سال 2001-2000، ترجمه سازمان مدیریت و برنامه­ریزی کشور، معاونت امور اجتماعی، دفتر امور اجتماعی
-        پیرایی، خسرو؛ شهسوار، محمدرضا(1388)؛ بررسی وضعیت فقردر مناطق شهری و روستایی استان فارس، پژوهش­نامه اقتصادی، سال نهم، شماره سوم
-        حقیقت، جعفر؛ اکبر موسوی، سید صالح(1395)؛ اقتصاد­سنجی کاربردی همراه با نرم­افزارهای JMulti و Eviews9، جلد اول، نشر نور علم، تهران
-        حکمتی فرید، صمد(1392)؛ برآورد حداقل معاش و منابع تعیین­کننده آن در بین خانوارهای شهری و روستایی ایران، رساله دکتری، دانشکده علوم انسانی و اجتماعی، دانشگاه تبریز
-        خداداد کاشی، فرهاد؛ شهیکی تاش، محمد­نبی(1381)؛ تاثیر متغیرهای کلان بر فقر در ایران (رویکرد بوت استرپ در تحلیل استنتاج آماری) (1389)؛ سیاست­های اقتصادی، جلد 6، شماره 2، صص 94-69
-        خداداد کاشی، فرهاد؛ حیدری، خلیل؛ باقری، فریده(1384)؛ برآورد خط فقر در ایران طی سال­های 1379-1363، فصلنامه علمی، پژوهشی و رفاه اجتماعی، سال چهارم، شماره 17، صص 164- 137
-        خسروی­نژاد، علی­اکبر(1391)؛ برآورد فقر و شاخص­های فقر در مناطق شهری و روستایی، فصلنامه مدل­سازی اقتصادی، سال ششم، شماره دوم، صص 60-39
-        راغفر، حسین؛ ابراهیمی، زهرا(1386)؛ فقر در ایران در طی سال­های 1383-1368، فصلنامه رفاه اجتماعی، شماره 24
-    رنج­پور، رضا؛ سلمانی، بهزاد؛ کریمی تکانلو، زهرا؛ عبدی، حسن ( 1392)؛ فصلنامه تحقیقات توسعه اقتصادی، شماره دوازدهم، زمستان 1392، صص 98-77
-       سلمانی، اکبر(1395)؛ بررسی عامل اقتصادی موثر بر عرضه شیر ایران (به تفکیک استان­ها)، پایان نامه کارشناسی ارشد، دانشکده اقتصاد، دانشگاه تبریز
-        سن، آمارتیا کومار(1381)؛ توسعه به مثابه آزادی، ترجمه حسین راغفر، تهران: انتشارات کویر
-        گل محمدی, فرهود و محمدابراهیم ابراهیمی (۱۳۹۱)؛ راه­های روستایی و توسعه پایدار، چهارمین همایش علمی سراسری دانشجویی جغرافیا، تهران
-        عرب­مازار، عباس؛ حسینی­نژاد، سید­مرتضی (1383)؛ برآورد میزان فقر و شدت آن در گروه­های مختلف شغلی خانوارهای روستایی ایران، فصلنامه اقتصاد کشاورزی و توسعه، شماره 45
-        غروی نخجوانی، احمد(1384)؛ فقر در خانوارهای ایرانی، رفاه اجتماعی، شماره 17، صص 26-1
-        فهرستی ثانی، مسعود؛ صالح، ایرج؛ سلامی، حبیب الله(1386)؛ بررسی وضعیت فقر و توزیع درآمد در مناطق روستایی ایران با تاکید بر تاثیر سرمایه­گذاری­های عمرانی دولت، فصلنامه علوم کشاورزی ایران، سال 38­ام، شماره یک، صص 5
-        گالبرایت، جان کنت(1366)؛ ماهیت فقر عمومی، ترجمه محمدحسین عادلی، چاپ یکم، انتشارات اطلاعات، تهران
-        محمودی، وحید(1381)؛ اندازه­گیری فقر در ایران، فصلنامه پژوهش­نامه بازرگانی، شماره 24
-        مرکز آمار ایران، (سال­های مختلف)؛ نتایج آمارگیری از هزینه و درآمد خانوارهای روستایی کشور
-        مولایی، محمد؛ رحیمی راد، زهره(1395)؛ بررسی وضعیت فقر در خانوارهای روستایی ایران طی پنج برنامه توسعه اقتصادی ایران، فصلنامه راهبردهای توسعه روستایی،جلد 3، شماره 2، صص 235- 215
-        مهرگان، نادر؛ اشرف­زاده، سید حمید­رضا(1387)؛ اقتصادسنجی پنل دیتا، دانشگاه تهران، موسسه تحقیقات تعاون
-        هادی­زنوز، بهروز(1384)؛ فقر و نابرابری درآمد در ایران، فصلنامه علمی پژوهشی رفاه اجتماعی، سال چهارم، شماره­17
-        Asher, Sam, Novosad, Paul (2016), Market Access and Structural Transformation: Evidence from Rural Roads in India, International Development and the Warburg Fund (Harvard University)
-        Assadzadeh, Ahmad and Satya Paul(2001), Poverty, Growth and Redistribution, a Case Study of Iran. United Nations University Press, World Institute for Development Economics Research, pp. 193-216
-        Arif, G. & Sh. Farooq (2012), Welfare Impact of the Health Intervention in Pakistan: The-Case of Lady Health Workers Programme, Poverty and Social Dynamics Paper Serie. Pakistan: Institute of Development Economics
-        Binswanger, H, S. Khandker and M. Rosenzweing(1993) ‘ How Infrastructure and Financial Institutions Affect Agricultural output and investment in IndiaJournal of development economics 41, 337-66.
-        Duggale , V, Saltzman,C. Klein, L.R, (1999), Infrastructure and
-        Productivity: a Nonlinear Approach, Journal of Econometrics, 92, 47-74
-        Hsiao, C (2003), Analysis of Panel Data, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press.
-        Khandker, R. Shahidur, Bakht Zaid (2006), The Poverty Impact Of Rural Roads: Evidence from Bangladesh, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 38-75
-        Townsend, Peter. (1979). Poverty in the United Kingdom. London: Penguin.
-        Lulit , aklilu Terefe (2012), Impact of road on rural poverty, Institute of social studies. P.O  Box 29776, 2502 LT The Hugue
-        Obayelu. A. E, Olarewaju. T. O and Oyelami. N. L( 2014 ), Effect of Rural Infrastructure on Profitibility and Produtivity of Cassava-based Farms in ODUGBOLU Local Government Area , Ogun State, Nigeria, Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol 59, 187-200
-        Rowntree, Seebohm (1901), Poverty, A Study of Town Life 
-        Warr, peter (2010), roads and poverty in rural laos: An Econometric Analysis, Pacific Economic Review, 15 : 1
-        World Bank (1994), World Development Report 1994 : Infrastructure for Development, New York: Oxford University Press
-        Tsekeris, Th (2016), Domestic Transport Effects on regional export trade in Greece, Research in Transportation Economics, pp. 1-13.
-        Zhou, J & Yang, L & Xu, Y Liu, CH (2007), The Economic Performance of Transportation infrastructure: an empirical study on the recent development of China, World Transportation on Engineering and Technology Education, Vol 6, No. 1, pp. 193-197.