A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development

This study targets road development: the Second Mekong International Bridge (SMIB) and Road No. 9 in the Lao -Thai border province of Savannakhet. The main objectives of the study are to describe the changes in household livelihoods activities of women and men after road development, to analyze the changes in mobility patterns of women and men and gend er relations as a consequence of livelihood changes, and to assess how road development influences women and men{u2019}s sense of place and space. The methodology used in this study is a mixed method approach in that both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used. Four villages in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR were selected for study by using three criteria: distance from Road No. 9, distance from the border, and ethnicity. A household survey has been used for quantitative data collection, while in -depth interviews, and key informant interviews have been used for qualitative data collection. The data collection took place from December, 2007 to May, 2008. The study uses the concept of sense of place to examine the benefits of road development, impac t on livelihoods, and the link between livelihoods and mobility. The findings of this study indicate that road development has promoted livelihood activities and has facilitated trade in most of the villages in the study area. Geographic settings influence mobility in different ways. Mobility has greatly increased in the two villages closest to the border. The proportion of those working in Thailand is the lowest in the ethnic minority village which is located far from the border, albeit adjacent to the roa d. This study shows how people{u2019}s sense of place shapes their mobility with respect to various livelihoods and other consequences of road development. Road and bridge development has had very different impact on the different villages and on women and men, which cannot be explained only by physical proximity. Villagers near the road have less mobility outside their village, and more women and men from the village furthest from the road are now migrating to Thailand. Sense of place allows us to understand why women and men have changed their mobility patterns post infrastructure development. Availability of transport makes it easier for people to travel beyond their village and expand their mobility. However, the proximity and ease of travel must be combined w ith a redefinition of place to explain the sense of mobility of the villagers, especially for women.

Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2015