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Development Effects of Electrification: Evidence from the Topographic Placement of Hydropower Plants in Brazil

Author Info

  • Molly Lipscomb
  • A. Mushfiq Mobarak
  • Tania Barham

Abstract

We estimate the development effects of electrification across Brazil over the period 1960-2000. We simulate a time series of hypothetical electricity grids for Brazil for the period 1960-2000 that show how the grid would have evolved had infrastructure investments been made based solely on geography-based cost considerations. Using the model as an instrument, we document large positive effects of electrification on development that are underestimated when one fails to account for endogenous targeting. Broad-based improvement in labor productivity across sectors and regions rather than general equilibrium re-sorting appears to be the likely mechanism by which these development gains are realized. (JEL H54, L94, O11, O13, Q41, Q43)

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Article provided by American Economic Association in its journal American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.

Volume (Year): 5 (2013)
Issue (Month): 2 (April)
Pages: 200-231

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Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:5:y:2013:i:2:p:200-231
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.5.2.200
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Keywords:

Find related papers by JEL classification:

  • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
  • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
  • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
  • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
  • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
  • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Michaels, Guy, 2007. "The Effect of Trade on the Demand for Skill - Evidence from the Interstate Highway System," CEPR Discussion Papers 6056, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  2. Cadot, Olivier & Roller, Lars-Hendrik & Stephan, Andreas, 2006. "Contribution to productivity or pork barrel? The two faces of infrastructure investment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(6-7), pages 1133-1153, August.
  3. David Aschauer, 1988. "Is public expenditure productive?," Staff Memoranda 88-7, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
  4. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Barnes, Douglas F. & Samad, Hussain & Minh, Nguyen Huu, 2009. "Welfare impacts of rural electrification : evidence from Vietnam," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5057, The World Bank.
  5. Fan, Shenggen & Zhang, Linxiu & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2002. "Growth, inequality, and poverty in rural China: the role of public investments," Research reports 125, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  6. Morrison, Catherine J & Schwartz, Amy Ellen, 1996. "State Infrastructure and Productive Performance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1095-1111, December.
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Cited by:

  1. Chakravorty, Ujjayant & Pelli, Martino & Ural Marchand, Beyza, 2014. "Does the quality of electricity matter? Evidence from rural India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 107(PA), pages 228-247.
  2. Thor Berger & Kerstin Enflo, 2013. "Locomotives of Local Growth: The Short- and Long-Term Impact of Railroads in Sweden," Working Papers 0042, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
  3. Breinlich, Holger & Ottaviano, Gianmarco & Temple, Jonathan, 2013. "Regional Growth and Regional Decline," CEPR Discussion Papers 9568, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  4. Kenneth Lee & Eric Brewer & Carson Christiano & Francis Meyo & Edward Miguel & Matthew Podolsky & Javier Rosa & Catherine Wolfram, 2014. "Barriers to Electrification for "Under Grid" Households in Rural Kenya," NBER Working Papers 20327, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  5. Dinkelman, Taryn & Schulhofer-Wohl, Sam, 2012. "Migration, Congestion Externalities, and the Evaluation of Spatial Investments," CEPR Discussion Papers 9126, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  6. Hunt Allcott & Allan Collard-Wexler & Stephen D. O'Connell, 2014. "How Do Electricity Shortages Affect Productivity? Evidence from India," NBER Working Papers 19977, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  7. Grimm, Michael & Sparrow, Robert & Tasciotti, Luca, 2014. "Does Electrification Spur the Fertility Transition? Evidence from Indonesia," IZA Discussion Papers 8146, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  8. Michael Greenstone & B. Kelsey Jack, 2013. "Envirodevonomics: A Research Agenda for a Young Field," NBER Working Papers 19426, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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