Lots of things have happened, but none of them are super ground-breaking.
I did read a fascinating article for my Senegal class (though my trip has been cancelled I still have to attend the class all semester) about public works projects. It was really interesting how they described that a lot of the work that was, I guess, commissioned, by the government never benefitted the majority of inhabitants because it was basically only for foreigners and to make the city more visit-able. In addition, the projects made the daily life of all inhabitants more difficult through making traffic jams and blocking off parts of neighborhoods. So not only did their original roads suck, they couldn't really drive anywhere else anymore. Then, think about this for a while, buses have fixed routes (determined by the company and the driver can't change them) so the buses get backed up even more than individual drivers because they can't take shortcuts or anything but official detours. So the people who have to ride the buses get even more disadvantaged.
So my question is: do all public works projects have effects of this sort? That just kind of ruin everyone's lives but don't have a big enough scope to be worth it to the majority?
I was going to make a comparison to public works projects in the United States when I realized that I'm not sure I know any. There was that thing in the depression with WPA, and something happened with the New Deal... but I honestly am not that knowledgeable about our nation's history. I should know more! Whose fault is this?! Probaby mine. But also the curriculum and the government, cuz why not blame everyone on the entire planet?! What should we do about this? I, personally, don't really want to take action, though at this moment I feel very strongly about this topic. Aight.
Oh and by the way the article I read was:
Ethnography on the Road: Infrastructure Vision and the Unruly Present in Contemporary Dakar
by Caroline Melly. Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute, Volume 83, Number 3, August 2013, pp. 385-402
