Xu Publishes Article on Transportation Infrastructure and Waste Management

Posted: 3/7/2025 ()

Scholars have long debated the role of transportation infrastructure in shaping sustainable societies by influencing environmental impacts. In a recent paper, CSDE Affiliate Dafeng Xu (Evans School) examines how road upgrades affect household waste management, a relatively understudied environmental issue, particularly in the Global South. Using census and health survey data from Benin, Xu applies difference-in-differences regression models to compare waste disposal practices in areas with and without road improvements from a major road project launched in 2011. Study findings reveal that the project significantly increased sustainable, service-based waste collection in historically less developed communities involved in the upgrade. Read the full paper here.