Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

6-2016

Abstract

We used primary data collected from 163 households in an off-grid Rwandan village to provide insights into energy poverty at the household-level. Informed by the rural livelihoods literature, we constructed a novel asset- and income-based index to disaggregate our results by socio-economic status. We also employed microeconometric techniques to investigate the determinants of household willingness-to-pay for electricity. We found statistically significant differences between households of different socio-economic status for expenditure on lighting and other electricity services, willingness-to-pay for electricity, income-generating activities and food security. Overall, our findings suggest that initiatives aiming to end energy poverty and catalyze rural development should: (1) recognize the different potential impacts of policies on households of different socio-economic status; (2) be sensitive to energy stacking behavior; (3) take a holistic approach to rural development; (4) and ensure that households are able to access modern energy through flexible payment schemes and equitable and sustained improvements in income.

Keywords

Energy poverty, Rural development, Rural electrification, Rwanda, Sub-Saharan Africa

Discipline

Energy Policy | Urban Studies and Planning

Publication

Energy for Sustainable Development

Volume

32

First Page

121

Last Page

129

ISSN

0973-0826

Identifier

10.1016/j.esd.2016.03.002

Publisher

Elsevier

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2016.03.002

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