Roads are one of the most salient symbols of development and modernity for rural citizens of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Multinational corporations, members of parliament, and villagers frequently point to roads as a key to development. However, while roads routinely improve the incomes of those connected, many of their effects are far less scrutable. Here, we examine the economic and social consequences of two roads, the Wau‐Bulolo Highway and Highlands Highway, for two villages in PNG's Morobe Province, and consider the processes that make their outcomes so different. Tracing the history of the two highways and considering a contrasting pair of case‐studies, we explore how roads simultaneously bolster income and drive interregional economic divergence. We demonstrate how the spatial and historical contexts the Highways run through, coupled with the relationships of patronage and dependence they rely on, produce contingent social outcomes and shape local ambivalence towards the outcomes of roads.

中文翻译：

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不平等之路：巴布亚新几内亚万锦谷的基础设施和历史上增长的地区差异

道路是巴布亚新几内亚（PNG）农村居民发展和现代化的最重要标志之一。跨国公司，国会议员和村民经常指出道路是发展的关键。然而，尽管道路通常能改善那些连通者的收入，但其许多影响却难以捉摸。在这里，我们研究了两条道路（Wau-Bulolo高速公路和高地高速公路）对巴布亚新几内亚莫罗贝省的两个村庄的经济和社会影响，并考虑了导致其结果如此不同的过程。追溯两条公路的历史并考虑一对对比的案例研究，我们探索公路如何同时增加收入和推动区域间经济差异。我们演示了高速公路如何穿越时空，