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Surviving in the dark: the mortality effects of reducing rolling blackouts

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  • Joshua Budlender

Abstract

South Africa frequently experiences rolling blackouts ('load shedding') due to shortfalls in electricity generation. This is a common problem across the developing world, and yet the developmental impacts of insufficient and unstable electricity supply, and the benefits of mitigating this, are poorly understood. I use the introduction of a unique load shedding reduction policy in parts of South Africa's second-largest city, Cape Town, to investigate the mortality effects of load shedding and its mitigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua Budlender, 2024. "Surviving in the dark: the mortality effects of reducing rolling blackouts," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2024-44, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2024-44
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2024-44-surviving-in-the-dark-mortality-effects-reducing-rolling-blackouts.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Electricity; Mortality; Synthetic control method; South Africa;
    All these keywords.

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