IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v114y2018icp492-498.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evaluating the role of rural electrification in expanding people's capabilities in India

Author

Listed:
  • Malakar, Yuwan

Abstract

This paper reinforces the concept that argues energy services should be evaluated from a ‘capability perspective’ rather than a mere utility point of view. It does so by evaluating the role of electricity in improving the quality of people's lives, using the capability approach, looking at the case of rural electrification in India. This study was carried out in two villages in Chittoor district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, using a qualitative approach. The findings suggest that electricity is a critical input to expand people's choices and opportunities in the pursuit of valued lives. However, the findings also indicate that the benefits of electricity are not equally distributed among all the families in the villages studied. The study recommends that rural electrification policies reconsider what defines an electrified village. Furthermore, this paper also suggests that the policy should promote not only access to electricity but also enhance social and political settings that may help people to transform electricity access into valued capabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Malakar, Yuwan, 2018. "Evaluating the role of rural electrification in expanding people's capabilities in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 492-498.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:114:y:2018:i:c:p:492-498
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.12.047
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421517308716
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.12.047?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sen, Amartya, 2001. "Development as Freedom," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192893307.
    2. Amartya Sen, 2004. "Capabilities, Lists, And Public Reason: Continuing The Conversation," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 77-80.
    3. Day, Rosie & Walker, Gordon & Simcock, Neil, 2016. "Conceptualising energy use and energy poverty using a capabilities framework," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 255-264.
    4. 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.
    5. Palit, Debajit & Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik Ranjan, 2016. "Rural electricity access in South Asia: Is grid extension the remedy? A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1505-1515.
    6. Oda, Hisaya & Tsujita, Yuko, 2011. "The determinants of rural electrification: The case of Bihar, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3086-3095, June.
    7. Ingrid Robeyns, 2003. "Sen'S Capability Approach And Gender Inequality: Selecting Relevant Capabilities," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2-3), pages 61-92.
    8. Dugoua, Eugenie & Liu, Ruinan & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2017. "Geographic and socio-economic barriers to rural electrification: New evidence from Indian villages," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 278-287.
    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. Menghwani, Vikas & Zerriffi, Hisham & Korkovelos, Alexandros & Khavari, Babak & Sahlberg, Andreas & Howells, Mark & Mentis, Dimitris, 2020. "Planning with justice: Using spatial modelling to incorporate justice in electricity pricing – The case of Tanzania," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    2. Xinfang Wang & Rosie Day & Dan Murrant & Antonio Diego Marín & David Castrejón Botello & Francisco López González & Jonathan Radcliffe, 2021. "A Capabilities-Led Approach to Assessing Technological Solutions for a Rural Community," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Liu, Yang & Bah, Zainab, 2021. "Enabling development impact of solar mini-grids through the community engagement: Evidence from rural Sierra Leone," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    4. Syed Ahsan Ali Shah & Gordhan Das Valasai & Asif Ali Memon & Abdul Nasir Laghari & Nabi Bux Jalbani & Jody L. Strait, 2018. "Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar PV Electricity Supply to Rural Areas of Balochistan, Pakistan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Jordi Cravioto & Hideaki Ohgaki & Hang Seng Che & ChiaKwang Tan & Satoru Kobayashi & Hla Toe & Bun Long & Eth Oudaya & Nasrudin Abd Rahim & Hooman Farzeneh, 2020. "The Effects of Rural Electrification on Quality of Life: A Southeast Asian Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-28, May.
    6. Bharadwaj, Bishal & Subedi, Mukti Nath & Malakar, Yuwan & Ashworth, Peta, 2023. "Low-capacity decentralized electricity systems limit the adoption of electronic appliances in rural Nepal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    7. Rakeshkumar Mahto & Deepak Sharma & Reshma John & Chandrasekhar Putcha, 2021. "Agrivoltaics: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Approach for Indian Farmers," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-28, November.

    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. Pelz, Setu & Chindarkar, Namrata & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2021. "Energy access for marginalized communities: Evidence from rural North India, 2015–2018," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    2. Bezerra, Paula & Cruz, Talita & Mazzone, Antonella & Lucena, André F.P. & De Cian, Enrica & Schaeffer, Roberto, 2022. "The multidimensionality of energy poverty in Brazil: A historical analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Antoinette Baujard & Muriel Gilardone, 2017. "Sen is not a capability theorist," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Abre-Rehmat Qurat-ul-Ann & Faisal Mehmood Mirza, 2021. "Multidimensional Energy Poverty in Pakistan: Empirical Evidence from Household Level Micro Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 211-258, May.
    5. Aristondo, Oihana & Onaindia, Eneritz, 2018. "Inequality of energy poverty between groups in Spain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 431-442.
    6. Kaspar Walter Meili & Anna Månsdotter & Linda Richter Sundberg & Jan Hjelte & Lars Lindholm, 2022. "An initiative to develop capability-adjusted life years in Sweden (CALY-SWE): Selecting capabilities with a Delphi panel and developing the questionnaire," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Leßmann, Ortrud, 2011. "Empirische Studien zum Capability Ansatz auf der Grundlage von Befragungen: Ein Überblick," UFZ Discussion Papers 4/2011, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    8. Chiappero-Martinetti, Enrica & Moroni, Stefano, 2007. "An analytical framework for conceptualizing poverty and re-examining the capability approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 360-375, June.
    9. Fernando Bucheli, 2021. "Before Entering Adulthood: Developing an Index of Capabilities for Young Adults in Bogota," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(3), pages 965-1002, June.
    10. 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).
    11. Laldjebaev, Murodbek & Hussain, Azmat, 2021. "Significance of context, metrics and datasets in assessment of multidimensional energy poverty: A case study of Tajikistan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    12. DECANCQ, Koen & FLEURBAEY, Marc & SCHOKKAERT, Erik, 2014. "Inequality, income, and well-being," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2014018, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    13. Hamid Hasan, 2019. "Confidence in Subjective Evaluation of Human Well-Being in Sen’s Capabilities Perspective," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, January.
    14. Rafał Nagaj, 2022. "Macroeconomic Policy versus Fuel Poverty in Poland—Support or Barrier," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    15. Chang, Lei & Gan, Xiaojun & Mohsin, Muhammad, 2022. "Studying corporate liquidity and regulatory responses for economic recovery in COVID-19 crises," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 211-225.
    16. Uche M. Ozughalu & Fidelis O. Ogwumike, 2019. "Extreme Energy Poverty Incidence and Determinants in Nigeria: A Multidimensional Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 997-1014, April.
    17. Siksnelyte-Butkiene, Indre & Streimikiene, Dalia & Balezentis, Tomas, 2022. "Addressing sustainability issues in transition to carbon-neutral sustainable society with multi-criteria analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
    18. Blanka Tundys & Agnieszka Bretyn & Maciej Urbaniak, 2021. "Energy Poverty and Sustainable Economic Development: An Exploration of Correlations and Interdependencies in European Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-25, November.
    19. Lin, Boqiang & Wang, Yao, 2020. "Does energy poverty really exist in China? From the perspective of residential electricity consumption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    20. 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.

    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:enepol:v:114:y:2018:i:c:p:492-498. 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/enpol .

    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.