“Stories of infrastructures are also stories of vulnerabilities”: Unpacking the Differential Implications of Rural Roads from the Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Youth.

Keywords: Rural infrastructures, Road, Mobility, Motility, and Youth.
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 8

Abstract

Contrary to the dominant and sometimes-simplistic narratives of development discourse that frames roads as agents for stimulating development in rural communities (Asher & Novosad, 2018; Cook & Butz, 2010; Hettige, 2006; Sieber & Allen, 2016), relatively little studies has been done in a Global South context on the differential effects of road construction and resulting changes in accessibility or mobility among members of a rural community. Using a motility or mobility capital framework, this paper examines the differential implications of rural roads infrastructure for differently positioned people in marginalized rural communities from the perspectives and lived experiences of youth in a small rural community (Kaasa, Northern Ghana). Primary data for this project has been collected using in-depth qualitative phone interviews with (a) a sample of 15 youth from Kaasa, (b) the road-building project supervisor, and (c) the local assemblyman. Findings unpack that local’s ability to experience the benefits of the newly constructed road is uneven and depends mainly on their motility including the assets and opportunities they possess as well as the ambition to act on available opportunities. The study contributes to knowledge on the multifaceted material and social implications of rural road construction for differently positioned individuals in small rural communities.