IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/soceps/v93y2024ics0038012124000971.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effectiveness and efficiency in access to reliable electricity: The case of East African countries

Author

Listed:
  • Nsabimana, René
  • Perelman, Sergio
  • Walheer, Barnabé
  • Mapapa, Mbangala

Abstract

Improving access to reliable electricity has been recognized as a necessary condition to foster economic development and reduce poverty. This is therefore not a surprise to find such a goal in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development of the United Nations. Taking this objective as our starting point, we present, in this paper, a non-parametric performance evaluation exercise of the East African electricity systems over a 10-year period. We focus our attention on two intertwined dimensions: effectiveness, i.e. reaching optimal outcomes, and efficiency, i.e. getting to optimal resource-outcome mixes. We show how these two dimensions can be measured over time, and how they can be compared and combined to construct useful indexes. In particular, we make a distinction between changes and shifts in the performances. The results show dramatic differences in terms of effectiveness and small differences in terms of efficiency. This reveals that to reach universal access to reliable electricity, as defined in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, resource constraint is the key factor and not resource utilization.

Suggested Citation

  • Nsabimana, René & Perelman, Sergio & Walheer, Barnabé & Mapapa, Mbangala, 2024. "Effectiveness and efficiency in access to reliable electricity: The case of East African countries," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceps:v:93:y:2024:i:c:s0038012124000971
    DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2024.101898
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038012124000971
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.seps.2024.101898?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. Sudhir M. Bobde & Makoto Tanaka, 2018. "Efficiency evaluation of electricity distribution utilities in India: A two-stage DEA with bootstrap estimation," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 69(9), pages 1423-1434, September.
    2. Bensch, Gunther, 2019. "The effects of market-based reforms on access to electricity in developing countries: a systematic review," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 11(2), pages 165-188.
    3. Estache, Antonio & Tovar, Beatriz & Trujillo, Lourdes, 2008. "How efficient are African electricity companies? Evidence from the Southern African countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1969-1979, June.
    4. Walheer, Barnabé, 2019. "Malmquist productivity index for multi-output producers: An application to electricity generation plants," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 76-88.
    5. Bacon,Robert W., 2018. "Taking stock of the impact of power utility reform in developing countries : a literature review," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8460, The World Bank.
    6. Lechthaler, Filippo, 2017. "Economic growth and energy use during different stages of development: an empirical analysis," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 26-50, February.
    7. Nepal, Rabindra & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2015. "Caught between theory and practice: Government, market, and regulatory failure in electricity sector reforms," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 16-24.
    8. Best, Rohan & Burke, Paul J., 2018. "Electricity availability: A precondition for faster economic growth?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 321-329.
    9. Lenz, Luciane & Munyehirwe, Anicet & Peters, Jörg & Sievert, Maximiliane, 2017. "Does Large-Scale Infrastructure Investment Alleviate Poverty? Impacts of Rwanda’s Electricity Access Roll-Out Program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 88-110.
    10. Perelman, Sergio & Walheer, Barnabé, 2020. "Economic growth and under-investment: A nonparametric approach," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    11. Walheer, Barnabé, 2018. "Labour productivity growth and energy in Europe: A production-frontier approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 129-143.
    12. Walheer, Barnabé, 2024. "A sequential benefit-of-the-doubt composite indicator," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(1), pages 228-239.
    13. Førsund, Finn R., 2017. "Measuring effectiveness of production in the public sector," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 93-103.
    14. Imam, Mahmud I. & Jamasb, Tooraj & Llorca, Manuel, 2019. "Sector reforms and institutional corruption: Evidence from electricity industry in Sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 532-545.
    15. Knox Lovell, C. A. & Pastor, Jesus T. & Turner, Judi A., 1995. "Measuring macroeconomic performance in the OECD: A comparison of European and non-European countries," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 507-518, December.
    16. Gore, Christopher D. & Brass, Jennifer N. & Baldwin, Elizabeth & MacLean, Lauren M., 2019. "Political autonomy and resistance in electricity sector liberalization in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 193-209.
    17. Plane, Patrick, 1999. "Privatization, Technical Efficiency and Welfare Consequences: The Case of the Cote d'Ivoire Electricity Company (CIE)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 343-360, February.
    18. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    19. Jamil, Faisal & Ahmad, Eatzaz, 2019. "Policy considerations for limiting electricity theft in the developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 452-458.
    20. Winkler, Jenny & Magosch, Magdalena & Ragwitz, Mario, 2018. "Effectiveness and efficiency of auctions for supporting renewable electricity – What can we learn from recent experiences?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 473-489.
    21. Barnabé Walheer, 2020. "Output, input, and undesirable output interconnections in data envelopment analysis: convexity and returns-to-scale," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 284(1), pages 447-467, January.
    22. Fare, Rolf & Shawna Grosskopf & Mary Norris & Zhongyang Zhang, 1994. "Productivity Growth, Technical Progress, and Efficiency Change in Industrialized Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 66-83, March.
    23. Rabindra, Nepal & Tooraj, Jamasb, 2013. "Caught Between Theory and Practice: Government, Market, and Regulatory Failure in Electricity Sector Reforms," SIRE Discussion Papers 2013-22, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    24. Savian, Fernando de Souza & Siluk, Julio Cezar Mairesse & Garlet, Taís Bisognin & do Nascimento, Felipe Moraes & Pinheiro, José Renes & Vale, Zita, 2021. "Non-technical losses: A systematic contemporary article review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    25. Barnabé Walheer, 2022. "Global Malmquist and cost Malmquist indexes for group comparison," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 75-93, August.
    26. Caves, Douglas W & Christensen, Laurits R & Diewert, W Erwin, 1982. "The Economic Theory of Index Numbers and the Measurement of Input, Output, and Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(6), pages 1393-1414, November.
    27. Laurens Cherchye & Willem Moesen & Nicky Rogge & Tom Puyenbroeck, 2007. "An Introduction to ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ Composite Indicators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 82(1), pages 111-145, May.
    28. Andrea A. Eras-Almeida & Miguel A. Egido-Aguilera, 2020. "What Is Still Necessary for Supporting the SDG7 in the Most Vulnerable Contexts?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-28, September.
    29. Grace Njeru & John Gathiaka & Peter Kimuyu, 2020. "Technical Efficiency of Thermal Electricity Generators in Kenya," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 10(3), pages 340-347.
    30. Walheer, Barnabé, 2018. "Scale efficiency for multi-output cost minimizing producers: The case of the US electricity plants," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 26-36.
    31. Laurens Cherchye & Kristof De Witte & Sergio Perelman, 2019. "A unified productivity-performance approach applied to secondary schools," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 70(9), pages 1522-1537, September.
    32. Dertinger, Andrea & Hirth, Lion, 2020. "Reforming the electric power industry in developing economies evidence on efficiency and electricity access outcomes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    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. Walheer, Barnabé, 2023. "Meta-frontier and technology switchers: A nonparametric approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(1), pages 463-474.
    2. Jamasb,Tooraj & Nepal,Rabindra & Timilsina,Govinda R., 2015. "A quarter century effort yet to come of age : a survey of power sector reforms in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7330, The World Bank.
    3. Tooraj Jamasb & Rabindra Nepal & Govinda R. Timilsina, 2017. "A Quarter Century Effort Yet to Come of Age: A Survey of Electricity Sector Reform in Developing Countries," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    4. Gautier, Axel & Nsabimana, René & Walheer, Barnabé, 2023. "Quality performance gaps and minimal electricity losses in East Africa," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2023. "Another look at productivity growth in industrialized countries," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 257-272, December.
    6. Barnabé Walheer, 2022. "Global Malmquist and cost Malmquist indexes for group comparison," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 75-93, August.
    7. Bansal, Pooja & Kumar, Sunil & Mehra, Aparna & Gulati, Rachita, 2022. "Developing two dynamic Malmquist-Luenberger productivity indices: An illustrated application for assessing productivity performance of Indian banks," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    8. Tooraj Jamasb & Rabindra Nepal & Govinda Timilsina & Michael Toman, 2014. "Energy Sector Reform, Economic Efficiency and Poverty Reduction," Discussion Papers Series 529, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    9. Walheer, Barnabé, 2024. "A sequential benefit-of-the-doubt composite indicator," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(1), pages 228-239.
    10. Kortelainen, Mika, 2008. "Dynamic environmental performance analysis: A Malmquist index approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 701-715, February.
    11. Jens J. Krüger, 2020. "Long‐run productivity trends: A global update with a global index," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 1393-1412, November.
    12. Rogge, Nicky, 2009. "Robust benevolent evaluations of teaching performance," Working Papers 2009/21, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, Faculteit Economie en Management.
    13. Jesús Peiró-Palomino & Andrés J. Picazo-Tadeo, 2018. "Assessing well-being in European regions. Does government quality matter?," Working Papers 2018/06, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    14. Walter Briec & Laurence Lasselle, 2022. "On some relations between a continuous time Luenberger productivity indicator and the Solow model," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(2), pages 484-502, April.
    15. Victoria Vicario-Modroño & Rosa Gallardo-Cobos & Pedro Sánchez-Zamora, 2023. "Sustainability evaluation of olive oil mills in Andalusia (Spain): a study based on composite indicators," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6363-6392, July.
    16. Laurens CHERCHYE & Willem MOESEN & Nicky ROGGE & Tom VAN PUYENBROECK, 2009. "Constructing a knowledge economy composite indicator with imprecise data," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven ces09.15, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    17. Bladimir Proaño‐Rivera & José Manuel Feria‐Dominguez, 2024. "Are Ecuadorian banks enough technically efficient for growth? A clinical study," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 2011-2029, April.
    18. Jorge Guardiola & Andrés J. Picazo-Tadeo, 2013. "Weighting life domains with Data Envelopment Analysis," Working Papers 1311, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    19. Kristof Witte & Nicky Rogge, 2010. "To publish or not to publish? On the aggregation and drivers of research performance," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 85(3), pages 657-680, December.
    20. Hideyuki Mizobuchi, 2014. "Measuring World Better Life Frontier: A Composite Indicator for OECD Better Life Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 987-1007, September.

    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:soceps:v:93:y:2024:i:c:s0038012124000971. 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/seps .

    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.