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High speed rail could bankrupt Laos, but it’ll keep China happy

Despite impressive economic growth rates over the last decade, a third of Laos’s population still lives below the extreme poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Most of the extreme poor Laos are ethnic minorities living in rural and upland districts, who depend on local ecological resources for cash income and food.

Expanding transport infrastructure can no doubt be very important for effective poverty reduction, however, this article questions the economic and social benefits of two high-speed rail projects in a country like Laos.

Data Resources (1)

Additional Info

Field Value
Document type Archived web content
Language of document
  • English
Topics
  • Economic policy and administration
  • Foreign investors
  • Infrastructure
  • Rail
Geographic area (spatial range)
  • China
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • Malaysia
  • Viet Nam
Copyright Yes
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Version / Edition 2014
License CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0
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Author (individual) Keith Barney
Publication place Melbourne, Australia
Publisher The Conversation
Publication date 2014
Keywords high-speed rail
Date uploaded January 3, 2018, 11:51 (UTC)
Date modified January 22, 2018, 00:43 (UTC)