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Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India

Author

Listed:
  • Ashish Kumar Sedai

    (Department of Economics, Colorado State University)

  • Rabindra Nepal

    (University of Wollongong)

  • Tooraj Jamasb

    (Copenhagen Business School)

Abstract

This study moves beyond the consensus of counting electrified households as a measure of progress in gender energy parity. Using the India Human Development Survey, we examine the effect of reliability of electrification on empowerment of women in terms of economic autonomy, agency, mobility and decision-making abilities, underscoring the labor market and respite effects of service reliability. We develop a comprehensive set of empowerment indices using principal component analysis and assess the causal effects of power outages on the indices with instrumental variable regressions while controlling for individual, household, district and caste characteristics. Results show that reliability of electricity has significant positive effects on all empowerment indices and improves women's labor market outcomes, however, the effects differ at the margin of deficiency, location, living standards and education. The study recommends policy focus on electrification from a gendered lens for cost-effective solutions.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Ashish Kumar Sedai & Rabindra Nepal & Tooraj Jamasb, 2020. "Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India," Working Papers EPRG2012, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:enp:wpaper:eprg2012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Obsa Urgessa Ayana & Jima Degaga, 2022. "Effects of rural electrification on household welfare: a meta-regression analysis," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(2), pages 209-261, June.
    2. Sedai, Ashish Kumar & Vasudevan, Ramaa & Pena, Anita Alves & Miller, Ray, 2021. "Does reliable electrification reduce gender differences? Evidence from India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 580-601.
    3. Bigerna, Simona & Choudhary, Piyush & Kumar Jain, Nikunj & Micheli, Silvia & Polinori, Paolo, 2022. "Avoiding unanticipated power outages: households’ willingness to pay in India," MPRA Paper 114160, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Sedai, Ashish Kumar & Jamasb, Tooraj & Nepal, Rabindra & Miller, Ray, 2021. "Electrification and welfare for the marginalized: Evidence from India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Bajo-Buenestado, Raúl, 2021. "The effect of blackouts on household electrification status: Evidence from Kenya," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Amin, Sakib Bin & Chowdhury, Mainul Islam & Jamasb, Tooraj & Khan, Farhan & Nepal, Rabindra, 2023. "Green Energy Finance and Gender Disparity: The Case of Mountain Areas in Bangladesh," Working Papers 2-2023, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Economics.
    7. Sumit Dey & Vandana Upadhyay & Manish Chouhan, 2022. "‘What Determines Socio-Economic Status and What Reflects It?’—Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling Approach," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 7(2), pages 206-220, July.
    8. Aweke, Abinet Tilahun & Navrud, Ståle, 2022. "Valuing energy poverty costs: Household welfare loss from electricity blackouts in developing countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Su, Qinghe & Azam, Mehtabul, 2023. "Does access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) reduce the household burden of women? Evidence from India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    10. Su, Qinghe & Azam, Mehtabul, 2022. "Does Access to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Reduce Women Household Burden? Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 15842, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Bigerna, Simona & Choudhary, Piyush & Jain, Nikunj Kumar & Micheli, Silvia & Polinori, Paolo, 2024. "An empirical investigation of the Indian households’ willingness to pay to avoid power outages," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Women Empowerment; Quality of Electrification; Instrumental Variables;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

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