Tackling clean energy transition challenge in developing rural areas: Does college-educated village official matter?

Many developing countries are prioritizing the transition to clean energy in rural areas but research on the causal relationship between college-educated village officials and rural clean energy accessibility is still in its infancy. This research uses administrative village samples from the national agriculture census in China to estimate the effect of college-educated village officials on clean energy accessibility. Results show that college-educated officials significantly increase the opportunity for villages to access natural gas and raise the natural gas access rate within villages. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that college-educated village officials greatly improve clean energy accessibility in villages in the developed eastern region as well as in the plains. The positive effect of college-educated village officials on clean energy accessibility is strengthened as the level of village organization rises, while the positive effect is weakened as the village area increases. Additionally, the greatest positive influence of college-educated officials on clean energy accessibility is the greatest when the percentage of college-educated officials among village cadres is 4 %. Furthermore, college-educated officials play a more significant role in enhancing clean energy accessibility in villages that are less inclined to have college-educated officials. Finally, this research confirms that college-educated officials increase accessibility to clean energy in three paths: developing the catering industry, promoting rural commercialization, and improving the village collective economy. These findings provide policy-making with some meaningful enlightenment about alleviating energy poverty in rural areas.