Do Public Works Programs Have Sustained Impacts?

Research co-authored by Eric Mvukiyehe, assistant professor of political science and affiliate of the Duke Center for International Development, explores the impact of public works programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

In "Do Public Works Programs Have Sustained Impacts? A Review of Experimental Studies from LMICs," Mvukiyehe and co-authors Aanchal Bagga, Marcus Holmlund, Nausheen Khan, Subha Mani and Patrick Premand review experimental evidence on public works programs, including a wave of recent studies, and provide directions for future research.

Their findings, published in the World Bank Research Observer, show that public works mainly increase employment and earnings during the program. "Short-term positive effects tend to fade in the medium run, except in a few cases in which large impacts on savings or investments in self-employment activities are also observed," the authors write. "We find evidence of improvements in psychological well-being and women's empowerment in some cases, but not systematically, and with limitations in measurement. In some contexts, public works programs also improve market wages, affecting both participants and non-participants."