Publication: Improving Logistics Costs for Transportation and Trade Facilitation
Date
2008-03
ISSN
Published
2008-03
Author(s)
Abstract
Access to basic infrastructure services
- roads, electricity, water, sanitation - and the efficient
provision of the services, is a key challenge in the fight
against poverty. Many of the poor (and particularly the
extreme poor) in rural communities in Latin America live on
average 5 kilometers or more from the nearest paved road,
which is almost twice as far as non-poor rural households.
There have been major improvements in access to water,
sanitation, electricity, telecommunications, ports, and
airports, but road coverage has not changed much, although
some effort and resources have been invested to improve the
quality of road networks. This paper focuses on the main
determinants of logistics costs and physical access to
services and, whenever possible, provides evidence of the
effects of these determinants on competitiveness, growth,
and poverty in Latin American economies. The analysis shows
the impact of improving infrastructure and logistics costs
on three fronts - macro (growth), micro (productivity at the
firm level), and poverty (the earnings of poor/rural
people). In addition, the paper provides recommendations and
solutions that encompass a series of policies to reduce the
prevalent high logistics costs and limited access to
services in Latin America. The recommendations rely on
applied economic analysis on logistics and trade facilitation.
Citation
“Gonzalez, Julio A.; Guasch, Jose Luis; Serebrisky, Tomas. 2008. Improving Logistics Costs for Transportation and Trade Facilitation. Policy Research Working Paper; No. 4558. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/64d8f36e-b768-585a-8dd6-1a07d8c67491 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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