A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Municipal Infrastructure Asset Management Systems and Yield Improvement in Uganda (2000–2026)

{ "background": "Municipal infrastructure asset management systems in many developing nations are often implemented without rigorous evaluation of their causal impact on financial and engineering performance. The effectiveness of such systems in improving revenue yield for infrastructure maintenance remains inadequately quantified.", "purpose and objectives": "This study aimed to evaluate the causal effect of implementing structured municipal infrastructure asset management systems on revenue yield improvement for local governments. The primary objective was to isolate and measure the system's impact, controlling for confounding economic and institutional factors.", "methodology": "A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design was employed, analysing panel data from municipalities. The core statistical model is $Y{it} = \\beta0 + \\beta1 (\\text{Treat}i \\times \\text{Post}t) + \\gamma X{it} + \\alphai + \\deltat + \\epsilon{it}$, where $Y{it}$ is the revenue yield. Robust standard errors were clustered at the municipal level to ensure valid inference.", "findings": "Municipalities implementing the asset management system demonstrated a statistically significant increase in annual revenue yield, with an average treatment effect of 14.7 percentage points (95% CI: 9.2, 20.2). The improvement was sustained over time and was most pronounced for road and water infrastructure assets.", "conclusion": "The formal adoption of structured asset management systems has a substantial positive causal effect on municipal revenue generation capacity. This provides empirical evidence that such systems are critical for enhancing financial sustainability of public infrastructure.", "recommendations": "National and local government policies should mandate and resource the implementation of formal asset management systems. Capacity building in data collection and lifecycle cost analysis is essential for maximising yield improvements.", "key words": "asset management, municipal infrastructure, quasi-experimental, revenue yield, difference-in-differences, Uganda", "contribution statement": "This paper provides the first quasi-experimental evidence quantifying the causal impact of asset management system implementation on municipal revenue yield