Socioeconomic Outcomes of Sustained Road Maintenance in Tanzania: A Theoretical Social Economic Policy Model

Abstract

Tanzania has established the Road Fund Board, (RFB) to ensure sustainable financing of road maintenance interventions in order of road networks. The RFB disburses these funds to roads agencies and monitor utilization of the funds to ensure Value for Money in the road maintenance works. The sustainable financing maintenance has led to visibly improved road network condition; which in turn has brought positive social economic outcomes, (SEOs) to road users through lower vehicle operating costs, improved access, improved comfort, mobility and safety. However, these SEOs of the sustained road maintenance have not been systematically evaluated with the purposes to inform policy formulation and decision-making processes especially for improvement and maintenance of rural roads. This paper attempts to design and formulate a methodology (theoretical model) for evaluating the socioeconomic outcomes (Y) of road sustained financing (X) and road maintenance, (Z) in Tanzania. The paper proposes the theoretical social economic model aiming at identifying, selecting and determining a set of appropriate indicators for evaluation of outcomes of road maintenance and development for research methodology and approach. The theoretical social economic policy model introduces the sustained road financing and maintenance performances concepts; presents theoretical social economic model that provides an indicative application and the quantitative data model. The main research results from using the designed model to evaluate the socioeconomic impact (Y) of sustainable road financing (X) and road maintenance (Z) in Tanzania are determination of effects on the “desired overall” sustainable development goal (SDG-2030). The appropriate indicators for evaluating the socioeconomic impact after using the policy model include; end poverty in all its forms everywhere; achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.