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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.

Macroeconomics --- Economics: General --- Infrastructure --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Infrastructures --- Other Public Investment and Capital Stock --- Railroads and Other Surface Transportation --- Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis --- Housing --- Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities: General --- Investment --- Capital --- Intangible Capital --- Capacity --- Aggregate Factor Income Distribution --- Economic & financial crises & disasters --- Economics of specific sectors --- National accounts --- Income --- Currency crises --- Informal sector --- Economics --- Saving and investment --- Papua New Guinea

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Following a benchmarking exercise, we estimate the spending required to reach satisfactory progress in the Sustainable Development Goals in the health, education, and infrastructure sectors in Brazil. We find that there is room for savings in education (up to 1.5 percentage point of GDP) and health (up to 2.5 percentage points of GDP) without compromising the quality of services but additional investments for over 3 percent of GDP per year are needed to close large infrastructure gaps in roads, water, and electricity by 2030. Brazil can do more with less, but increasing efficiency of public spending will require substantial reforms.

Infrastructure --- Public Finance --- Demography --- Sustainable Development --- Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government --- Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General --- International Fiscal Issues --- International Public Goods --- Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development --- Education and Economic Development --- Railroads and Other Surface Transportation --- Electric Utilities --- Gas Utilities --- Pipelines --- Water Utilities --- Foreign Aid --- Health: General --- Demographic Economics: General --- Investment --- Capital --- Intangible Capital --- Capacity --- Education: General --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- National Government Expenditures and Health --- Health economics --- Population & demography --- Macroeconomics --- Education --- Public finance & taxation --- Health --- Population and demographics --- Expenditure --- National accounts --- Health care spending --- Population --- Saving and investment --- Expenditures, Public --- Brazil

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Raising living standards continues to be the main challenge facing Guatemala, as a matter of economic success and social cohesion. This paper discusses the spending, financing, and delivery capacity aspects of a viable development strategy for Guatemala couched within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. Overall, Guatemala faces additional spending of about 8½ percent of GDP in 2030 to attain health, education, and roads, water, and sanitation infrastructure SDGs. While substantial, these cost estimates are commensurate with a well-defined financing strategy encompassing continuing tax administration efforts, broad-based tax reform, scaled-up private sector participation, and greater spending efficiency. Improving delivery capacities is also essential to secure access of those public goods to all Guatemalans, irrespective of their place of residence, ethnic group, or ability to pay.

Sustainable development --- Development, Sustainable --- Ecologically sustainable development --- Economic development, Sustainable --- Economic sustainability --- ESD (Ecologically sustainable development) --- Smart growth --- Sustainable economic development --- Economic development --- Environmental aspects --- Infrastructure --- Public Finance --- Demography --- Sustainable Development --- Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government --- Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General --- International Fiscal Issues --- International Public Goods --- Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development --- Education and Economic Development --- Railroads and Other Surface Transportation --- Electric Utilities --- Gas Utilities --- Pipelines --- Water Utilities --- Foreign Aid --- Education: General --- Health: General --- Investment --- Capital --- Intangible Capital --- Capacity --- Demographic Economics: General --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Education --- Health economics --- Macroeconomics --- Population & demography --- Public finance & taxation --- Health --- Population and demographics --- Public expenditure review --- National accounts --- Expenditure --- Saving and investment --- Population --- Expenditures, Public --- Guatemala