Work

Toxic Roads

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper explores road construction’s unintended consequences on health. Drawing evidence from a large-scale road development program in Ethiopia, we investigate the impact of road construction on infant mortality. Along major routes, we find that an additional road increases the probability of infant mortality by 3 percentage points. The empirical evidence suggests that waste exposure associated with road construction is a likely explanation for our findings. A large set of robustness checks rules out confounding factors such as migration and urbanization, and alternative mechanisms such as traffic pollution.

Source: Environmental and Resource Economics

DOI: 10.1007/s10640-025-00987-x

Authors: Caterina Gennaioli, Gaia Narciso

Institutions: Queen Mary University of London, Trinity College Dublin

Language: English

Topic: Air Quality and Health Impacts

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,390