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Eliminating energy poverty in Chinese households: A cognitive capability framework

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  • Du, Juntao
  • Song, Malin
  • Xie, Bing

Abstract

Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern clean energy is essential for economic development, making energy poverty a pressing matter for both developing and developed countries. Studies have shown that low levels of income and consumption indicate poverty, and the essence of poverty is “capability poverty,” which has formed a new understanding of the causes of poverty. This study extends the capability framework to energy poverty. It uses data from the 2014, 2016, and 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to build an empirical model to analyze the impact of cognitive capability on household energy poverty in terms of income levels and energy decision-making. A higher cognitive capability has a significant impact on encouraging households to eradicate energy poverty. Further, the non-linear moderation model is used to test the impact of the interaction between cognitive capability and income, information, and social network on energy poverty. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the driving factors of energy poverty and offers novel recommendations for policymakers to address the problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Du, Juntao & Song, Malin & Xie, Bing, 2022. "Eliminating energy poverty in Chinese households: A cognitive capability framework," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 373-384.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:192:y:2022:i:c:p:373-384
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.04.106
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