IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/scotjp/v71y2024i3p276-294.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Lightening the path to financial development: The power of electricity

Author

Listed:
  • Lei Pan
  • Richard Adjei Dwumfour
  • Veasna Kheng

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of access to electricity on financial development. In doing so, we use a number of instrumental variables (IV) approaches. Using panel data for 38 countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa over the period 2000–2018, the results suggest that more people having access to electricity can promote financial development. In addition, mobile phone and commercial bank branches diffusion serve as potential channels through which access to electricity affects financial development. Our results are robust to sample‐splitting and different estimation techniques. The results have important implications for policies in overcoming barriers to electricity access.

Suggested Citation

  • Lei Pan & Richard Adjei Dwumfour & Veasna Kheng, 2024. "Lightening the path to financial development: The power of electricity," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 71(3), pages 276-294, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:71:y:2024:i:3:p:276-294
    DOI: 10.1111/sjpe.12368
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/sjpe.12368
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/sjpe.12368?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bittencourt, Manoel, 2011. "Inflation and financial development: Evidence from Brazil," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 91-99.
    2. Arthur Lewbel, 2012. "Using Heteroscedasticity to Identify and Estimate Mismeasured and Endogenous Regressor Models," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 67-80.
    3. Calderon, Cesar & Liu, Lin, 2003. "The direction of causality between financial development and economic growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 321-334, October.
    4. Oum, Sothea, 2019. "Energy poverty in the Lao PDR and its impacts on education and health," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 247-253.
    5. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Naeem, Muhammad & Ahad, Muhammad & Tahir, Iqbal, 2018. "Is natural resource abundance a stimulus for financial development in the USA?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 223-232.
    6. Armey, Laura E. & Hosman, Laura, 2016. "The centrality of electricity to ICT use in low-income countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 617-627.
    7. Robert G. King & Ross Levine, 1993. "Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 717-737.
    8. Alberto Alesina & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, 2011. "Segregation and the Quality of Government in a Cross Section of Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1872-1911, August.
    9. Ross Levine, 1997. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 688-726, June.
    10. Rajan, Raghuram G. & Zingales, Luigi, 2003. "The great reversals: the politics of financial development in the twentieth century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 5-50, July.
    11. Joseph G. Altonji & Todd E. Elder & Christopher R. Taber, 2005. "An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schooling," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(4), pages 791-821.
    12. Ackermann, Klaus & Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2021. "Mobile phone coverage and violent conflict," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 269-287.
    13. Asongu, Simplice A. & Le Roux, Sara & Biekpe, Nicholas, 2018. "Enhancing ICT for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 209-216.
    14. Alam, Md. Samsul & Miah, Mohammad Dulal & Hammoudeh, Shawkat & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2018. "The nexus between access to electricity and labour productivity in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 715-726.
    15. Billmeier, Andreas & Massa, Isabella, 2009. "What drives stock market development in emerging markets--institutions, remittances, or natural resources?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 23-35, March.
    16. Robert Jensen, 2007. "The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance, and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 879-924.
    17. Bipasha Baruah, 2015. "Creating Opportunities for Women in the Renewable Energy Sector: Findings from India," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 53-76, April.
    18. David M. G. Newbery & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1984. "Pareto Inferior Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 51(1), pages 1-12.
    19. Pan, Lei & Biru, Ashenafi & Lettu, Sandra, 2021. "Energy poverty and public health: Global evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    20. Grogan, Louise & Sadanand, Asha, 2013. "Rural Electrification and Employment in Poor Countries: Evidence from Nicaragua," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 252-265.
    21. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2021. "Energy poverty and health: Panel data evidence from Australia," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    22. Chen, Ping-Yu & Chen, Sheng-Tung & Chen, Chi-Chung, 2012. "Energy consumption and economic growth—New evidence from meta analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 245-255.
    23. Huang, Yongfu, 2010. "Political Institutions and Financial Development: An Empirical Study," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 1667-1677, December.
    24. Bhattacharyya, Sambit & Hodler, Roland, 2014. "Do Natural Resource Revenues Hinder Financial Development? The Role of Political Institutions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 101-113.
    25. Ang, James B. & McKibbin, Warwick J., 2007. "Financial liberalization, financial sector development and growth: Evidence from Malaysia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 215-233, September.
    26. Henry Kaiser, 1974. "An index of factorial simplicity," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 39(1), pages 31-36, March.
    27. Boyd, John H. & Levine, Ross & Smith, Bruce D., 2001. "The impact of inflation on financial sector performance," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 221-248, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chris Doucouliagos & Jakob de Haan & Jan-Egbert Sturm, 2022. "What drives financial development? A Meta-regression analysis [A new database of financial reforms]," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(3), pages 840-868.
    2. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2019. "Financial Development and Tax Revenue in Developing Countries: Investigating the International Trade and Economic Growth Channels," EconStor Preprints 206628, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    3. Muhammad Shahbaz & Hrushikesh Mallick & Mantu Kumar Mahalik & Shawkat Hammoudeh, 2018. "Is globalization detrimental to financial development? Further evidence from a very large emerging economy with significant orientation towards policies," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(6), pages 574-595, February.
    4. Nazima Ellahi & Adiqa Kausar Kiani & Muhammad Awais & Hina Affandi & Rabia Saghir & Sarah Qaim, 2021. "Investigating the Institutional Determinants of Financial Development: Empirical Evidence From SAARC Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    5. Dosso, David, 2023. "Institutional Quality and Financial Development in Resource-Rich Countries: A Nonlinear Panel Data Approach," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 113-137.
    6. Gehringer, Agnieszka, 2013. "Financial liberalization, financial development and productivity growth: An overview," Economics Discussion Papers 2013-46, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    7. Ho, Sin-Yu & Njindan Iyke, Bernard, 2018. "Short- and Long-term Impact of Trade Openness on Financial Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," MPRA Paper 84272, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ali, Adnan & Ramakrishnan, Suresh & Faisal,, 2022. "Financial development and natural resources. Is there a stock market resource curse?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    9. Badeeb, Ramez Abubakr & Lean, Hooi Hooi & Smyth, Russell, 2016. "Oil curse and finance–growth nexus in Malaysia: The role of investment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 154-165.
    10. Cotter, Christopher & Rousseau, Peter L. & Vu, Nam T., 2021. "Electrification, telecommunications, and the finance-growth nexus: Evidence from firm-level data," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    11. Çetin, Murat & Sarıgül, Sevgi Sümerli & Işık, Cem & Avcı, Pınar & Ahmad, Munir & Alvarado, Rafael, 2023. "The impact of natural resources, economic growth, savings, and current account balance on financial sector development: Theory and empirical evidence," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    12. Ramez Abubakr Badeeb & Hooi Hooi Lean, 2017. "The Determinants of Financial Development in the Republic of Yemen: Evidence from the Principal Components Approach," Capital Markets Review, Malaysian Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 32-48.
    13. Dutta, Nabamita & Meierrieks, Daniel, 2021. "Financial development and entrepreneurship," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 114-126.
    14. Chletsos, Michael & Sintos, Andreas, 2024. "Political stability and financial development: An empirical investigation," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 252-266.
    15. Siong Hook Law, 2008. "Does a Country's Openness to Trade and Capital Accounts Lead to Financial Development? Evidence from Malaysia," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 161-177, June.
    16. Sin-Yu Ho & Bernard Njindan Iyke, 2017. "Determinants of stock market development: a review of the literature," Studies in Economics and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(1), pages 143-164, March.
    17. Arayssi, Mahmoud & Fakih, Ali, 2017. "Finance–growth nexus in a changing political region: How important was the Arab Spring?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 106-123.
    18. Samargandi, Nahla & Fidrmuc, Jan & Ghosh, Sugata, 2015. "Is the Relationship Between Financial Development and Economic Growth Monotonic? Evidence from a Sample of Middle-Income Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 66-81.
    19. Sin-Yu Ho & N.M. Odhiambo, 2018. "Analysing the macroeconomic drivers of stock market development in the Philippines," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1451265-145, January.
    20. Chung-Hua Shen & Chien-Chiang Lee & Shyh-Wei Chen & Zixiong Xie, 2011. "Roles played by financial development in economic growth: application of the flexible regression model," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 103-125, August.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:71:y:2024:i:3:p:276-294. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sesssea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.