Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/211209 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2018/172
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
The construction sector plays a critical role in delivering quality infrastructure, which in turn influences the use of natural resource revenues towards achieving structural change and industrial development. We use industrial organization and political economy lenses to describe and understand the organization of and changes in the construction industry in Zambia, focusing on demand-side factors; supply-side issues; market interactions through pricing and costs; and public institutions, regulations, policies, and structures. We establish the main firm-level, industry-wide, and macroeconomic bottlenecks affecting Zambia's construction sector and offer options for dealing with the key bottlenecks. In particular, we suggest: institutional reforms and legal and regulatory changes governing procurement and contracting rules and systems; training and other capacity-building programmes; greater access for local contractors to existing financing sources, including the Skill Development Levy; a review and update of the local content and subcontracting strategy and policy; and state-supported and -financed/-resourced research and development programmes.
Subjects: 
construction
infrastructure
prices
cost
market structure
bottlenecks
JEL: 
B41
L11
L16
L74
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9256-614-2
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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