Conceptual and institutional prerequisites for guiding equitable progress towards universal access
Connection counts mask supply quality gaps; institutional capacity shapes outcomes
Rural electrification is a means not an end, aimed explicitly or implicitly at improving the socio-economic conditions and living standards of those living in rural areas. Yet most policies and programs targeting rural electrification are designed and evaluated solely on extending connections, with mixed results. We argue that next-generation electrification policy formulation must consider three elements: measurement of distinct multi-dimensional supply attributes at higher regional granularity, considerations of local institutional capacity constraints, and independent evaluation mechanisms.
We draw these arguments from qualitative and quantitative analyses of longitudinal country-level rural electrification datasets, sub-national cross-sectional datasets and three flagship rural electrification schemes. We find that aggregate connection rates mask inadequate supply quality and geographic disparity in infrastructure provision, and that rural electrification policy outcomes are modified by local institutional capacity, which we proxy using an indicator for the quality of government distinct from local economic characteristics.
Case studies of flagship schemes in Brazil, India and Morocco provide further insight into potential mechanisms, revealing similarities in centre-led efforts combined with regulatory controls and the integration of targeted pro-poor subsidies and decentralised electrification technologies.
@article{pelz_conceptual_2022,
title = {Conceptual and institutional prerequisites for guiding equitable progress towards universal access},
volume = {11},
number = {1},
doi = {10.5547/2160-5890.11.1.spel},
language = {en},
journal = {Economics of Energy \& Environmental Policy},
author = {Pelz, Setu and Brutschin, Elina and Pachauri, Shonali},
year = {2022},
}