Negotiating clean energy: Women’s Bargaining Power and the impact of energy transition subsidy

Access to clean cooking fuel remains a persistent challenge for billions globally, with women bearing a disproportionate share of the associated health burden. This paper provides an empirical analysis of India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)—the world’s largest initiative to promote LPG adoption among poor households. Using a difference-in-difference approach with propensity score matching on nationally representative survey data, we quantify the impact of PMUY on the adoption of clean cooking fuel as the primary method. The main goal of the study is to examine the central role of women’s bargaining power within households and the presence of cheap alternative fuels as key factors that modulate the effectiveness of the program. We find a statistically significant increase in LPG adoption among eligible households, with program effects amplified in those households where women have greater agency. These results underscore the importance of targeting intra-household dynamics and local fuel availability in designing and implementing successful clean cooking interventions.