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Household Electrification, Fertility, and Employment: Evidence from Hydroelectric Dam Construction in Colombia

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  • Louise Grogan

Abstract

This paper examines how household electrification in Colombia altered fertility, women’s work behavior, and children’s schooling. Estimation exploits plausibly exogenous variation in the cost of a household electric connection. The time-varying distance between a municipality and the nearest hydroelectric dam is assumed not to directly affect socioeconomic outcomes but to influence electrification rates during 1973–2005. Changes within municipalities in dam distance are used to predict changes in electrification rates in specifications including both department fixed effects with extensive municipal controls and municipal fixed effects. Household electrification is found to have reduced fertility and to have increased young children’s schooling but not to have had measurable self- or waged-employment effects.

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  • Louise Grogan, 2016. "Household Electrification, Fertility, and Employment: Evidence from Hydroelectric Dam Construction in Colombia," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(1), pages 109-158.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/684580
    DOI: 10.1086/684580
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    2. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2020. "Fertility and rural electrification in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Xu, Sijia, 2018. "Impact of Electrification on Children’s Nutritional Status in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 315-330.
    4. Choumert-Nkolo, Johanna & le Roux, Leonard, 2024. "Leaving the hearth you know: Internal migration and energy poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    5. Richard S. J. Tol, 2023. "Navigating the energy trilemma during geopolitical and environmental crises," Papers 2301.07671, arXiv.org.
    6. Aparajita Dasgupta & Anahita Karandikar & Devvrat Raghav, 2024. "Road Access, Fertility, and Child Health in Rural India," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 50(1), pages 117-147, March.
    7. Bayer, Patrick & Kennedy, Ryan & Yang, Joonseok & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2020. "The need for impact evaluation in electricity access research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    8. Eric Evans Osei Opoku & Kingsley E. Dogah & Nana Kwabena Kufuor & Alex O. Acheampong, 2024. "The importance of human development in combating energy poverty," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 1189-1209, March.
    9. Daniela Vidart, 2024. "Revisiting the Link Between Electrification and Fertility: Evidence from the Early 20th Century United States," Working papers 2024-03, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    10. Jose Cuesta & Mario Negre & Ana Revenga & Maika Schmidt, 2018. "Tackling Income Inequality: What Works and Why?," Journal of Income Distribution, Ad libros publications inc., vol. 26(1), pages 1-48, March.
    11. Enrico Nano, 2022. "Electrifying Nigeria: the Impact of Rural Access to Electricity on Kids' Schooling," IHEID Working Papers 03-2022, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    12. Adrien Fabre & Thomas Douenne & Linus Mattauch, 2023. "International Attitudes Toward Global Policies," Working Papers 2023.01, FAERE - French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
    13. Kadoukpè Gildas Magbondé & Djiby Racine Thiam & Natascha Wagner, 2024. "The Economic Impacts of Rural Water Supply Infrastructures in Developing Countries: Empirical Evidence from Senegal," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(10), pages 2571-2628, October.

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