Assessment of residents’ perceptions and support toward development projects: A study of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

Abstract

Road infrastructure and transportation networks play a major role in development of a country’s economy and local residents. In Pakistan, such dependence has led to major investments in road construction with the mega-project China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Using social exchange theory, this study investigates residents’ attitudes toward CPEC development in Pakistan. Primary data used in this research study has been collected from 286 residents of Pakistan through an online survey. The local community’s support of CPEC in Pakistan was investigated by using several parameters, including the community’s personal benefit, satisfaction, and perceived effects (positive and negative). Findings of this study indicate that the local community’s personal benefit is a strong predictor for support of CPEC development, while satisfaction and positive effects mediate the relationship between personal benefits related to CPEC and support for CPEC development. However, the perceived negative effect of CPEC has not shown a significant relationship with support for CPEC development. Results of this study may help CPEC policymakers understand the local community’s perceptions, gain local community support for the CPEC route, and design policies accordingly for future development.

KEYWORDS:

• Road and transportation
• Satisfaction
• CPEC
• Local community
• Pakistan

Acknowledgment

The first author (Shamsa Kanwal) is grateful to the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) authorities for the scholarship award and financial support during master’s research studies at the University of Science and Technology of China.