Geographic isolation and spatial inequality are growing issues for most countries. However, distance-demolishing technologies have been proposed as a solution of overcoming geographic barriers associated with geographic penalties. This research uses the rapid and widespread adoption of inexpensive motorcycles in Vietnam as a case study of how distance-demolishing technologies can improve household well-being. Utilising panel data from the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Vietnamese Household Living Standard Surveys, this research uses propensity score matching to isolate the effect that the introduction of a motorcycle has on household income. Our results show that new motorcycle ownership reduces spatial isolation penalties and significantly improves household well-being in Vietnam. In addition, marginalised populations, such as female-headed households and rural households, receive relatively larger returns from a new motorcycle. Our findings suggest that distance-demolishing technologies can contribute to the reduction of spatial inequality by helping households overcome both geographic and social barriers.

中文翻译：

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克服不平等的地理惩罚

对于大多数国家来说，地理隔离和空间不平等是日益严重的问题。然而，已提出远距离拆除技术作为克服与地理处罚相关的地理障碍的解决方案。本研究以越南快速和广泛采用廉价摩托车作为案例研究，研究远距离拆除技术如何改善家庭福祉。本研究利用 2004、2006 和 2008 年越南家庭生活水平调查的面板数据，使用倾向得分匹配来隔离引入摩托车对家庭收入的影响。我们的结果表明，新的摩托车拥有量减少了空间隔离的惩罚，并显着改善了越南的家庭福祉。此外，边缘化人群，例如女户主家庭和农村家庭，从一辆新摩托车中获得相对较大的回报。我们的研究结果表明，远距离拆除技术可以帮助家庭克服地理和社会障碍，从而有助于减少空间不平等。