Assessing the impact of transport and energy infrastructure on poverty reduction

ADB, in collaboration with the World Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and U.K. Department for International Development (DfID), is carrying out a regional technical assistance (RETA 5947) to assess the impact of transport and energy infrastructure on poverty reduction. The primary objectives of the project are to enhance current understanding of how transport and energy infrastructure and services contribute to poverty reduction, to fill gaps in empirical knowledge, and to identify lessons learned and good practices to be taken into account in future ADB operations. The project will also help formulate the infrastructure components of national or regional poverty reduction strategies in selected developing member countries (DMCs), and build capacity in DMC research institutions to design and conduct policy-relevant research on poverty and infrastructure. Jan Isaksen is one of the three External Evaluators of the project. He has participated in one workshop, preparing for the fieldwork conducted by three Asian research Institutes. A finalising Workshop will take place in 2003.