IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v103y2021ics0140988321004291.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of the Bono Social de Electricidad on energy poverty in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • García Alvarez, Guillermo
  • Tol, Richard S.J.

Abstract

The Bono Social de Electricidad (BSE) is a government programme, introduced in 2009, to reduce energy poverty in Spain. The BSE is a discount on the price of electricity, available to vulnerable households who applied. Applying differences-in-differences and propensity score matching to household data between 2008 and 2011, we find no statistically significant impact of the intention to treat on two indicators of energy poverty, viz. the ability to keep the house adequately warm, and the presence of damp walls, rotting windows and leaking roofs. This may be because eligible households did not apply. A third indicator, delays in paying electricity bills, showed a statistically significant deterioration. That is, the BSE has not reduced energy poverty, if anything it has made it worse. This is not because eligible households transferred income to relatives hit harder by the financial crises, but it may be because the BSE discount did not fully compensate for the cold of 2010.

Suggested Citation

  • García Alvarez, Guillermo & Tol, Richard S.J., 2021. "The impact of the Bono Social de Electricidad on energy poverty in Spain," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:103:y:2021:i:c:s0140988321004291
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105554
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988321004291
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105554?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aristondo, Oihana & Onaindia, Eneritz, 2018. "Counting energy poverty in Spain between 2004 and 2015," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 420-429.
    2. Sourafel Girma & Holger Görg, 2016. "Evaluating the foreign ownership wage premium using a difference-in-differences matching approach," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES AND HOST COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT Volume 53: World Scientific Studies in International Economics, chapter 2, pages 17-32, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Llorca, Manuel & Rodriguez-Alvarez, Ana & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2020. "Objective vs. subjective fuel poverty and self-assessed health," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Uddin, Main & Wang, Liang Choon & Smyth, Russell, 2021. "Do government-initiated energy comparison sites encourage consumer search and lower prices? Evidence from an online randomized controlled experiment in Australia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 167-182.
    5. Roberts, Deborah & Vera-Toscano, Esperanza & Phimister, Euan, 2015. "Energy poverty in the UK: Is there a difference between rural and urban areas?," 89th Annual Conference, April 13-15, 2015, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 204213, Agricultural Economics Society.
    6. Roberts, Deborah & Vera-Toscano, Esperanza & Phimister, Euan, 2015. "Fuel poverty in the UK: Is there a difference between rural and urban areas?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 216-223.
    7. Caitlin Robinson & Sarah Lindley & Stefan Bouzarovski, 2019. "The Spatially Varying Components of Vulnerability to Energy Poverty," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 109(4), pages 1188-1207, July.
    8. King, Gary & Nielsen, Richard, 2019. "Why Propensity Scores Should Not Be Used for Matching," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(4), pages 435-454, October.
    9. Papada, Lefkothea & Kaliampakos, Dimitris, 2016. "Measuring energy poverty in Greece," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 157-165.
    10. Bouzarovski, Stefan & Petrova, Saska & Sarlamanov, Robert, 2012. "Energy poverty policies in the EU: A critical perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 76-82.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pillai, Arya & Tovar Reaños, Miguel & Curtis, John, 2022. "Fuel poverty in Ireland: an analysis of trends and profiles," Papers WP729, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    2. González, F. Javier Palencia & Tovar Reaños, Miguel & Labeaga Azcona, Jose Maria, 2023. "Hidden fuel poverty in Spain and Ireland. A comparative study of measuring and targeting," Papers WP765, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    3. Rodriguez-Alvarez, Ana & Llorca, Manuel & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2021. "Alleviating energy poverty in Europe: Front-runners and laggards," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Zhang, Pengfeng & Gu, Haiying, 2023. "Potential policy coordination: Can energy intensity targets affect energy poverty?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    5. Ren, Yi-Shuai & Jiang, Yong & Narayan, Seema & Ma, Chao-Qun & Yang, Xiao-Guang, 2022. "Marketisation and rural energy poverty: Evidence from provincial panel data in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    6. Syed Hasan & Odmaa Narantungalag, & Martin Berka, 2022. "The intended and unintended consequences of large electricity subsidies: evidence from Mongolia," Discussion Papers 2202, School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand.
    7. Núñez-Sánchez, Ramón & Otoya-Chavarría, Marco & Soberón, Alexandra, 2024. "Price and budget elasticities under utility poverty policies in Spain," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    8. Nguyen, Canh Phuc & Nasir, Muhammad Ali, 2021. "An inquiry into the nexus between energy poverty and income inequality in the light of global evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    9. Nguyen, Canh Phuc & Su, Thanh Dinh, 2022. "The influences of government spending on energy poverty: Evidence from developing countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).
    10. Pourkhanali, Armin & Kholghi, Donya & Llorca, Manuel & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2023. "Persistent and Transient Energy Poverty: A Multi-Level Analysis in Spain," Working Papers 9-2023, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Economics.
    11. Prakash, Kushneel & Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2022. "Are you puffing your Children's future away? Energy poverty and childhood exposure to passive smoking," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    12. Bienvenido-Huertas, David & Sánchez-García, Daniel & Rubio-Bellido, Carlos & Marín-García, David, 2024. "Holistic analysis to reduce energy poverty in social dwellings in southern Spain considering envelope, systems, operational pattern, and income levels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    13. Richard S. J. Tol, 2023. "Navigating the energy trilemma during geopolitical and environmental crises," Papers 2301.07671, arXiv.org.
    14. Min Zhao & Weijian Guo, 2022. "Does Land Certification Stimulate Farmers’ Entrepreneurial Enthusiasm? Evidence from Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Bagnoli, Lisa & Bertoméu-Sánchez, Salvador, 2022. "How effective has the electricity social rate been in reducing energy poverty in Spain?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    16. Adam X. Hearn & Raul Castaño-Rosa, 2021. "Towards a Just Energy Transition, Barriers and Opportunities for Positive Energy District Creation in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.
    17. George E. Halkos & Apostolos S. Tsirivis, 2023. "Electricity Prices in the European Union Region: The Role of Renewable Energy Sources, Key Economic Factors and Market Liberalization," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-20, March.
    18. Cadaval, María & Regueiro-Ferreira, Rosa Ma & Calvo, Santiago, 2022. "The role of the public sector in the mitigation of fuel poverty in Spain (2008–2019): Modeling the contribution of the BonoSocial deElectricidad," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).

    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. Recep Ulucak & Ramazan Sari & Seyfettin Erdogan & Rui Alexandre Castanho, 2021. "Bibliometric Literature Analysis of a Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development Issue: Energy Poverty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Shahzad, Umer & Gupta, Mansi & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Rao, Amar & Chopra, Ritika, 2022. "Resolving energy poverty for social change: Research directions and agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    3. Deller, David & Turner, Glen & Waddams Price, Catherine, 2021. "Energy poverty indicators: Inconsistencies, implications and where next?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Magdalena Cyrek & Piotr Cyrek, 2022. "Rural Specificity as a Factor Influencing Energy Poverty in European Union Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-24, July.
    5. Romero, José Carlos & Linares, Pedro & López, Xiral, 2018. "The policy implications of energy poverty indicators," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 98-108.
    6. Bouzarovski, Stefan & Simcock, Neil, 2017. "Spatializing energy justice," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 640-648.
    7. Rodriguez-Alvarez, Ana & Llorca, Manuel & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2021. "Alleviating energy poverty in Europe: Front-runners and laggards," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    8. Łukasz Mamica & Jakub Głowacki & Kamil Makieła, 2021. "Determinants of the Energy Poverty of Polish Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, June.
    9. Kahouli, Sondès & Okushima, Shinichiro, 2021. "Regional energy poverty reevaluated: A direct measurement approach applied to France and Japan," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    10. Esperanza Vera‐Toscano & Heather Brown, 2022. "Empirical Evidence on the Incidence and Persistence of Energy Poverty in Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(4), pages 515-529, December.
    11. Marlena Piekut, 2021. "Between Poverty and Energy Satisfaction in Polish Households Run by People Aged 60 and Older," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-30, September.
    12. Rodriguez-Alvarez, Ana & Orea, Luis & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2019. "Fuel poverty and Well-Being:A consumer theory and stochastic frontier approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 22-32.
    13. Sadath, Anver C. & Acharya, Rajesh H., 2017. "Assessing the extent and intensity of energy poverty using Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index: Empirical evidence from households in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 540-550.
    14. Drescher, Katharina & Janzen, Benedikt, 2021. "Determinants, persistence, and dynamics of energy poverty: An empirical assessment using German household survey data," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Llorca, Manuel & Rodriguez-Alvarez, Ana & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2020. "Objective vs. subjective fuel poverty and self-assessed health," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    16. Papada, Lefkothea & Kaliampakos, Dimitris, 2016. "Measuring energy poverty in Greece," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 157-165.
    17. Scarpellini, Sabina & Alexia Sanz Hernández, M. & Moneva, José M. & Portillo-Tarragona, Pilar & Rodríguez, María Esther López, 2019. "Measurement of spatial socioeconomic impact of energy poverty," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 320-331.
    18. Karpinska, Lilia & Śmiech, Sławomir, 2021. "Breaking the cycle of energy poverty. Will Poland make it?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    19. Okushima, Shinichiro, 2021. "Energy poor need more energy, but do they need more carbon? Evaluation of people's basic carbon needs," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    20. Carfora, Alfonso & Scandurra, Giuseppe & Thomas, Antonio, 2022. "Forecasting the COVID-19 effects on energy poverty across EU member states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Energy poverty; Spain; Household data; Policy evaluation; Bono Social de Electricidad;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

    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:eee:eneeco:v:103:y:2021:i:c:s0140988321004291. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    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.