Copyright Page
© 2022 International Monetary Fund
WP/22/95
IMF Working Paper
Fiscal Affairs Department
Road Quality and Mean Speed Score
Prepared by Mariano Moszoro and Mauricio Soto*
Authorized for distribution by David Coady
May 2022
IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
ABSTRACT: We introduce a novel measure of cross-country road quality based on the travel mean speed between large cities from Google Maps. This measure is useful to assess road infrastructure and access gaps. Our Mean Speed (MS) score is easier to estimate and update than traditional gauges of road network quality which rely on official reports, surveys (i.e., World Economic Forum’s Quality of Roads Perception survey), or satellite imaging (i.e., World Bank’s Rural Access Index). In a sample of over 160 countries, we find that MS scores range between 38 km/h (23.6 mph) and 107 km/h (66.5 mph). We show that the MS score is a strong proxy for road quality and access.
RECOMMENDED CITATION: Moszoro, Mariano and Mauricio Soto, 2022, “Road Quality and Mean Speed Score,” IMF Working Papers 2022/095 (Washington: International Monetary Fund).
| JEL Classification Numbers: | H54, L92, O18 |
| Keywords: | Road Quality, Sustainable Development Goals, Access to Infrastructure |
| Author’s E-Mail Address: | mmoszoro@imf.org; msoto@imf.org |
| JEL Classification Numbers: | H54, L92, O18 |
| Keywords: | Road Quality, Sustainable Development Goals, Access to Infrastructure |
| Author’s E-Mail Address: | mmoszoro@imf.org; msoto@imf.org |
Title Page
WORKING PAPERS
Road Quality and Mean Speed Score
Prepared by Mariano Moszoro and Mauricio Soto
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Methodology
A. Mean Speed Score
B. Geometric Mean Speed Score
C. Adjusted Mean Speed Score
III. Mean Speed Score as Informative Road Metric
A. Relationship with Other Measures
B. Contest between Road Network Measures
IV. Mean Speed Score for Welfare Calculations
V. Public Investment Management
VI. Discussion And Conclusion
Appendix I. List of Countries and Cities
References
FIGURES
1. Histograms of Mean Speed Scores
2. MS Scores on the World Map
3. OLS and Quantile Best Fit Lines of MS Score and GDP per Capita, Road Density, Quality of Road Infrastructure, and Rural Access Index
TABLES
1. Summary Statistics of MS Scores
2. Mean Speed Scores by Country
3. Summary Statistics of GDP per Capita, Road Density, QRI, and RAI
4. Ordered Logistic Regressions of Road Quality on Road Network Characteristics
5. Ordered Logistic Regressions of Income Levels on RAI, Road Density, and MS Score