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Promoting energy inclusiveness: Is rural energy poverty a political failure?

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  • Acheampong, Alex O.
  • Nghiem, Xuan-Hoa
  • Dzator, Janet
  • Rajaguru, Gulasekaran

Abstract

We examine the impact of democracy and governance on rural electrification and rural access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking using comprehensive panel data of 34 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean between 2000 and 2020. Evidence from heteroskedasticity-based instrumental variable regression revealed that governance improves rural electrification and rural access to clean cooking fuels and technologies, while democracy of different forms limits rural electrification and rural access to clean cooking fuels and technologies. We suggest that better governance ensures justice in providing and allocating essential public services such as electricity and clean cooking solutions, not democracy.

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  • Acheampong, Alex O. & Nghiem, Xuan-Hoa & Dzator, Janet & Rajaguru, Gulasekaran, 2023. "Promoting energy inclusiveness: Is rural energy poverty a political failure?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:84:y:2023:i:c:s0957178723001510
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2023.101639
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    Cited by:

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    2. Yan, Aqian & Luo, Xiaofeng & Zhang, Junbiao & Tang, Lin, 2024. "Does internet use promote clean energy use for cooking by women-headed rural households in China?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    3. Zhao, Lei & Zhang, Manchao & Yang, Hao & Zhang, Haixia, 2025. "Elderly care and clean cooking energy use in rural households: A financially supported perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    4. Huang, Yongming & Abbas, Qaiser & Sharif, Muhammad, 2025. "Addressing agricultural energy poverty to enhance farmers' profitability and productivity: Policy interventions for global food security challenges," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    5. Shittu, Ibrahim & Abdul Latiff, Abdul Rais Bin & Baharudin, Siti 'Aisyah, 2024. "Closing the clean cooking gap: Which policies and institutional qualities matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    6. Nuta, Alina Cristina & Abban, Olivier Joseph & Ayad, Hicham & Nuta, Florian Marcel, 2025. "Role of financial development and inclusivity in moderating the environmental effects of human development," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    7. Aleksy Kwilinski & Oleksii Lyulyov & Tetyana Pimonenko, 2024. "Energy Poverty and Democratic Values: A European Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-23, June.
    8. Dongli Chen & Qianxuan Huang, 2024. "The New Policy for Innovative Transformation in Regional Industrial Chains, the Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy, and Energy Poverty Alleviation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-37, May.
    9. Rustagi, Niharika & Opoku, Eric Evans Osei & Acheampong, Alex O., 2024. "Does gender diversity in politics improve access to electricity and electrification inequality? A global analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    10. Messie Pondie, Thierry & Engwali, FON Dorothy & Ongo Nkoa, Bruno Emmanuel & Noubissi Domguia, Edmond, 2024. "Energy poverty and respiratory health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects and transmission channels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    11. Bernard Meka'a, Cosmas & Landry Djamen, Boris & Noufelie, Romus, 2024. "Foreign direct investment, Green Technological Innovation and Energy Poverty: Empirical evidences from Sub-Saharan African countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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