The main quantitative element of the impact assessment included a panel survey of around 3,000 households across the eight districts in western Nepal. This constitutes the largest household survey ever undertaken in this understudied region of the country and as such includes a detailed dataset on the drivers of poverty specific to western Nepal. The qualitative element included participatory interviews and discussions with communities to provide an interpretive lens to the quantitative findings.
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has been funding the RAP for the past 15 years. The third phase of implementation – the Rural Access Programme Phase 3 (RAP-3) – ended in June 2019. It was designed to contribute to DFID Nepal’s twin objectives of delivering local economic growth and ensuring no-one is left behind- mainly through building and maintaining local roads and creating employment to the poor and disadvantaged communities in most remote parts of Nepal.
The impact assessment is focused on the impact on poverty in this region of Nepal. It therefore assesses the achievement of RAP-3’s two main objectives: (i) improved rural access through new road construction and road maintenance; and (ii) the employment of poor communities to carry out these road-based activities.
Download the Annex to the report.
