Electricity availability: A precondition for faster economic growth?
Date
2018
Authors
Best, Rohan
Burke, Paul
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
We investigate if greater electricity availability helps countries ascend to faster economic growth trajectories. This is an important question for many developing countries that are currently prioritizing infrastructure investments. Using cross-sectional and panel regressions with national-level decadal data, we find some evidence that electricity availability has a significant effect on subsequent economic growth. However, much of the effect disappears once suitable controls are included. We examine various dimensions of electricity availability, including electricity consumption quantity, generation capacity, residential access rate, and quality of electricity supply. It appears that electricity availability is best viewed as something that can be scaled up as economies grow rather than something that imposes binding constraints on subsequent economic growth.
Description
Keywords
Electricity availability, Electricity consumption, Economic growth, Development economics
Citation
Best, Rohan and Burke, Paul J. 2018. ‘Electricity availability: A precondition for faster economic growth?’ Energy Economics 74,
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Source
Energy Economics
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
Open Access
License Rights
Restricted until
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