IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/povpop/v6y2014i2p157-175.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Utility Sector Performance Post Reforms: Investigating the South Asian Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Khoung M. Vu
  • Anjula Gurtoo

Abstract

This article critically evaluates the utility sector performance of South Asian economies for the last two decades. Utility sector inputs are key to socioeconomic development, contributing to poverty reduction by fueling economic growth and enabling the fulfillment of basic human needs. After two decades of utility sector reforms, is the sector contributing significantly to the economic growth of the East Asian nations? And what does this augur for the poor? To answer these questions, the results for the five South Asian economies are put side by side, namely, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, focused on the period from 1990 to 2008. Results show a declining GDP share of the sector for countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Put alongside the sector's employment share, the decline in the GDP share along with growth in the employment share for India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan indicate the lack of sectoral expansion as well as modernization. Moreover, a declining contribution of the utility sector to the overall growth of the nation, as compared to other sectors, is evident for all the countries except Sri Lanka. We discuss these and other results in light of the impact on the socially and economically marginalized populations of these countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Khoung M. Vu & Anjula Gurtoo, 2014. "Utility Sector Performance Post Reforms: Investigating the South Asian Economies," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(2), pages 157-175, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:6:y:2014:i:2:p:157-175
    DOI: 10.1002/pop4.68
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/pop4.68
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/pop4.68?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Markard, Jochen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2006. "Innovation processes in large technical systems: Market liberalization as a driver for radical change?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 609-625, June.
    2. Dagher, Leila & Yacoubian, Talar, 2012. "The causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth in Lebanon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 795-801.
    3. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Lean, Hooi Hooi, 2012. "The dynamics of electricity consumption and economic growth: A revisit study of their causality in Pakistan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 146-153.
    4. Chisari, Omar & Estache, Antonio & Romero, Carlos, 1997. "Winners and losers from utility privatization in Argentina : lessons from a general equilibrium model," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1824, The World Bank.
    5. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2008. "Energy consumption and economic growth in Asian economies: A more comprehensive analysis using panel data," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 50-65, January.
    6. Bhattacharyya, Subhes C., 2007. "Power sector reform in South Asia: Why slow and limited so far?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 317-332, January.
    7. Briceno-Garmendia, Cecilia & Estache, Antonio & Shafik, Nemat, 2004. "Infrastructure services in developing countries : access, quality, costs and policy reform," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3468, The World Bank.
    8. Parker, David & Kirkpatrick, Colin & Figueira-Theodorakopoulou, Catarina, 2008. "Infrastructure regulation and poverty reduction in developing countries: A review of the evidence and a research agenda," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 177-188, May.
    9. Estache, Antonio & Gomez-Lobo, Andres & Leipziger, Danny, 2001. "Utilities Privatization and the Poor: Lessons and Evidence from Latin America," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 1179-1198, July.
    10. Chisari, Omar & Estache, Antonio & Romero, Carlos, 1999. "Winners and Losers from the Privatization and Regulation of Utilities: Lessons from a General Equilibrium Model of Argentina," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 13(2), pages 357-378, May.
    11. Ghosh, Sajal, 2002. "Electricity consumption and economic growth in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 125-129, January.
    12. Warr, B.S. & Ayres, R.U., 2010. "Evidence of causality between the quantity and quality of energy consumption and economic growth," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 1688-1693.
    13. David Parker & Colin Kirkpatrick, 2005. "Privatisation in Developing Countries: A Review of the Evidence and the Policy Lessons," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 513-541.
    14. Williams, J.H. & Ghanadan, R., 2006. "Electricity reform in developing and transition countries: A reappraisal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 815-844.
    15. David I. Stern and Astrid Kander, 2012. "The Role of Energy in the Industrial Revolution and Modern Economic Growth," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    16. Genius, Margarita & Stefanou, Spiro E. & Tzouvelekas, Vangelis, 2012. "Measuring productivity growth under factor non-substitution: An application to US steam-electric power generation utilities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 844-852.
    17. Farrokh Nourzad, 2000. "The productivity effect of government capital in developing and industrialized countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(9), pages 1181-1187.
    18. Shah, Tushaar & Bhatt, Sonal & Shah, R.K. & Talati, Jayesh, 2008. "Groundwater governance through electricity supply management: Assessing an innovative intervention in Gujarat, western India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(11), pages 1233-1242, November.
    19. Chontanawat, Jaruwan & Hunt, Lester C. & Pierse, Richard, 2008. "Does energy consumption cause economic growth?: Evidence from a systematic study of over 100 countries," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 209-220.
    20. Wang, Eric C., 2002. "Public infrastructure and economic growth: a new approach applied to East Asian economies," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 411-435, August.
    21. Akinlo, A.E., 2008. "Energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from 11 Sub-Sahara African countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 2391-2400, September.
    22. Ferguson, Ross & Wilkinson, William & Hill, Robert, 2000. "Electricity use and economic development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(13), pages 923-934, November.
    23. Odhiambo, Nicholas M., 2010. "Energy consumption, prices and economic growth in three SSA countries: A comparative study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 2463-2469, May.
    24. Albert Chong & Florencio López-de-Silanes, 2004. "Privatization in Latin America: What Does the Evidence Say?," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Spring 20), pages 37-111, January.
    25. Morimoto, Risako & Hope, Chris, 2004. "The impact of electricity supply on economic growth in Sri Lanka," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 77-85, January.
    26. Anwandter, Lars & Ozuna, Teofilo Jr., 2002. "Can public sector reforms improve the efficiency of public water utilities?," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(4), pages 687-700, October.
    27. K Hossain, A & Badr, O, 2007. "Prospects of renewable energy utilisation for electricity generation in Bangladesh," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(8), pages 1617-1649, October.
    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. Sofien, Tiba & Omri, Anis, 2016. "Literature survey on the relationships between energy variables, environment and economic growth," MPRA Paper 82555, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 14 Sep 2016.
    2. Koščak Kolin, Sonja & Karasalihović Sedlar, Daria & Kurevija, Tomislav, 2021. "Relationship between electricity and economic growth for long-term periods: New possibilities for energy prediction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    3. Ozturk, Ilhan, 2010. "A literature survey on energy-growth nexus," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 340-349, January.
    4. Shahateet, Mohammed Issa & Al-Majali, Khalid Ali & Al-Hahabashneh, Fedel, 2014. "Causality and Cointegration between Economic Growth and Energy Consumption: Econometric Evidence from Jordan," MPRA Paper 59067, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Oct 2014.
    5. Tiba, Sofien & Omri, Anis, 2017. "Literature survey on the relationships between energy, environment and economic growth," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 1129-1146.
    6. Alam, Mohammad Jahangir & Ahmed, Mumtaz & Begum, Ismat Ara, 2017. "Nexus between non-renewable energy demand and economic growth in Bangladesh: Application of Maximum Entropy Bootstrap approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 399-406.
    7. 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).
    8. Kais Saidi & Sami Hammami, 2016. "Economic growth, energy consumption and carbone dioxide emissions: recent evidence from panel data analysis for 58 countries," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 361-383, January.
    9. Farzana Sharmin & Mohammed Robayet Khan & Mohammed Robayet Khan, 2016. "A Causal Relationship between Energy Consumption, Energy Prices and Economic Growth in Africa," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 6(3), pages 477-494.
    10. Bashiri Behmiri, Niaz & Pires Manso, José R., 2013. "How crude oil consumption impacts on economic growth of Sub-Saharan Africa?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 74-83.
    11. Bashiri Behmiri, Niaz & Pires Manso, José R., 2012. "Does Portuguese economy support crude oil conservation hypothesis?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 628-634.
    12. Islam, Aminul & Chan, Eng-Seng & Taufiq-Yap, Yun Hin & Mondal, Md. Alam Hossain & Moniruzzaman, M. & Mridha, Moniruzzaman, 2014. "Energy security in Bangladesh perspective—An assessment and implication," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 154-171.
    13. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Lean, Hooi Hooi, 2012. "Does financial development increase energy consumption? The role of industrialization and urbanization in Tunisia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 473-479.
    14. Wesseh, Presley K. & Lin, Boqiang, 2016. "Can African countries efficiently build their economies on renewable energy?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 161-173.
    15. Apergis, Nicholas & Payne, James E., 2009. "Energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from the Commonwealth of Independent States," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 641-647, September.
    16. Shahateet, Mohammed & Bdour, Jaber, 2010. "Consumption of Electricity and Oil in Jordan: A non-parametric analysis using B-splines," MPRA Paper 57352, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2010.
    17. Mohammed Issa Shahateet, 2014. "Modeling Economic Growth and Energy Consumption in Arab Countries: Cointegration and Causality Analysis," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 4(3), pages 349-359.
    18. Stern, David I. & Enflo, Kerstin, 2013. "Causality between energy and output in the long-run," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 135-146.
    19. Alkhathlan, Khalid & Javid, Muhammad, 2013. "Energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic growth in Saudi Arabia: An aggregate and disaggregate analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1525-1532.
    20. Esseghir, Asma & Haouaoui Khouni, Leila, 2014. "Economic growth, energy consumption and sustainable development: The case of the Union for the Mediterranean countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 218-225.

    More about this item

    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:wly:povpop:v:6:y:2014:i:2:p:157-175. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-2858 .

    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.