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The power of electricity: Small hydropower and girls’ education

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  • Luo, Yichen
  • Tian, Chuanhao

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of rural electrification on girls' schooling and later life-course outcomes in rural China. We draw on the Rural Electrification through Small Hydropower (SHP-RE), which was rolled out across counties in three waves during the 1980s and 1990s. Using county-cohort data and a difference-in-differences design, we estimate the effects of exposure to electrification by age 15. SHP-RE increased girls' upper-secondary enrollment by 5.1 percentage points, with no comparable gains for boys. The effects are concentrated among cohorts exposed during later childhood and early adolescence. Exposure also delayed women's age at first marriage and reduced the probability of marrying before age 20. Mechanism evidence is most consistent with reduced domestic labor burden for girls and greater adoption of labor-saving household technology. Counties electrified earlier also later exhibited higher shares of women with upper-secondary education or above and greater enterprise-registration density. Overall, the results show that rural electrification generated large and persistent gains for girls and women at key human-capital and life-course margins.

Suggested Citation

  • Luo, Yichen & Tian, Chuanhao, 2026. "The power of electricity: Small hydropower and girls’ education," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:183:y:2026:i:c:s0304387826001458
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103862
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