Fueling the Engines of Liberation with Cleaner Cooking Fuel

Using the staggered rollout of the Indonesian “Conversion to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Program”, we show that a subsidy on the labor- and time-saving cook technology increased the female labor force participation. The program also increased household consumption expenditure and the decision-making power of women in the household, especially in financial matters. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the benefits of switching to LPG far outweighed the costs to the households. Based on previous research, we conjecture that intra-household externalities and gender differences in preferences drive low rates of adoption of the cost effective technology. The program’s impact on the financial decision-making power of women suggests that subsidies that empower women, even if temporary, can encourage the adoption and sustained use of beneficial technology.