| Although it is known that access to physical infrastructure enhances household welfare, there are hardly any micro-econometric studies that analyze the role of infrastructure in mitigating chronic and transient poverty. This paper aims to bridge this gap in the existing literature by evaluating the impact of a large-scale irrigation project implemented in Sri Lanka. We extend the seasonal consumption smoothing model of Paxson (1993) by introducing endogenous credit constraints. We collected unique household-level monthly panel data over a period of two years. According to the point estimates, with irrigation accessibility, per capita food and non-food consumption expenditures increase by around 20% and 45%, respectively, on average, and the probability... |
