Roads to Inequality: Infrastructure and Historically Grown Regional Differences in the Markham Valley, Papua New Guinea

Roads are one of the most salient symbols of development and modernity for rural citizens of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Multinational corporations, members of parliament, and villagers frequently point to roads as a key to development. However, while roads routinely improve the incomes of those connected, many of their effects are far less scrutable. Here we examine the economic and social consequences of two roads, the Wau-Bulolo Highway and Highlands Highway, for two villages in PNG's Morobe Province, and consider the processes that make their outcomes so different. Tracing the history of the two highways and considering a contrasting pair of case-studies, we explore how roads simultaneously bolster income and drive inter-regional economic divergence. We demonstrate how the spatial and historical contexts the Highways run through, coupled with the relationships of patronage and dependence they rely on, produce contingent social outcomes and shape local ambivalence towards the outcomes of roads.+ ID der Publikation: unilu_39132 + Sprache: Englisch + Bemerkungen: "This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Beer, Bettina and Willem Church (2019): Roads to Inequality: Infrastructure and Historically Grown Regional Differences in the Markham Valley, Papua New Guinea. Oceania, 89(1), pp.2–19.], which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ocea.5210. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions." + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2021-01-20 17:04:0