IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/5332.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Energy access, efficiency, and poverty : how many households are energy poor in Bangladesh ?

Author

Listed:
  • Barnes, Douglas F.
  • Khandker, Shahidur R.
  • Samad, Hussain A.

Abstract

Access to energy, especially modern sources, is a key to any development initiative. Based on cross-section data from a 2004 survey of some 2,300 households in rural Bangladesh, this paper studies the welfare impacts of household energy use, including that of modern energy, and estimates the household minimum energy requirement that could be used as a basis for an energy poverty line. The paper finds that although the use of both traditional (biomass energy burned in conventional stoves) and modern (electricity and kerosene) sources improves household consumption and income, the return on modern sources is 20 to 25 times higher than that on traditional sources. In addition, after comparing alternate measures of the energy poverty line, the paper finds that some 58 percent of rural households in Bangladesh are energy poor, compared with 45 percent that are income poor. The findings suggest that growth in electrification and adoption of efficient cooking stoves for biomass use can lower energy poverty in a climate-friendly way by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing energy poverty helps reduce income poverty as well.

Suggested Citation

  • Barnes, Douglas F. & Khandker, Shahidur R. & Samad, Hussain A., 2010. "Energy access, efficiency, and poverty : how many households are energy poor in Bangladesh ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5332, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5332
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2010/06/04/000158349_20100604131716/Rendered/PDF/WPS5332.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kirk R. Smith, 2003. "Indoor Air Pollution," World Bank Publications - Reports 9723, The World Bank Group.
    2. Pradhan, Menno & Ravallion, Martin, 1998. "Measuring poverty using qualitative perceptions of welfare," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2011, The World Bank.
    3. Ravallion, Martin & Bidani, Benu, 1994. "How Robust Is a Poverty Profile?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 8(1), pages 75-102, January.
    4. Pokharel, Shaligram, 2004. "Energy economics of cooking in households in Nepal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 547-559.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pachauri, Shonali & Spreng, Daniel, 2011. "Measuring and monitoring energy poverty," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7497-7504.
    2. Rowlands, Ian, 2011. "Co-impacts of energy-related climate change mitigation in Africa’s least developed countries: the evidence base and research needs," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 37575, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Barnes, Douglas F. & Samad, Hussain A., 2012. "Are the energy poor also income poor? Evidence from India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Barnes, Douglas F. & Samad, Hussain A., 2010. "Energy poverty in rural and urban India : are the energy poor also income poor ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5463, The World Bank.
    5. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Ryan, Sarah E., 2016. "The geography of energy and education: Leaders, laggards, and lessons for achieving primary and secondary school electrification," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 107-123.
    6. Rafał Nagaj, 2022. "Macroeconomic Policy versus Fuel Poverty in Poland—Support or Barrier," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    7. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Drupady, Ira Martina, 2011. "Summoning earth and fire: The energy development implications of Grameen Shakti (GS) in Bangladesh," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4445-4459.
    8. Sambodo, Maxensius Tri & Novandra, Rio, 2019. "The state of energy poverty in Indonesia and its impact on welfare," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 113-121.
    9. Fidelis O. Ogwumike & Uchechukwu M. Ozughalu & Gabriel A. Abiona, 2014. "Household Energy Use and Determinants: Evidence from Nigeria," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 4(2), pages 248-262.
    10. Ian Rowlands, 2011. "Ancillary impacts of energy-related climate change mitigation options in Africa’s least developed countries," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(7), pages 749-773, October.
    11. Omowunmi Mary Longe & Khmaies Ouahada, 2018. "Mitigating Household Energy Poverty through Energy Expenditure Affordability Algorithm in a Smart Grid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-17, April.
    12. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Mukherjee, Ishani & Drupady, Ira Martina & D’Agostino, Anthony L., 2011. "Evaluating energy security performance from 1990 to 2010 for eighteen countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 5846-5853.
    13. Robyn Meeks & Katharine R. E. Sims & Hope Thompson, 2019. "Waste Not: Can Household Biogas Deliver Sustainable Development?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(3), pages 763-794, March.
    14. Takama, Takeshi & Tsephel, Stanzin & Johnson, Francis X., 2012. "Evaluating the relative strength of product-specific factors in fuel switching and stove choice decisions in Ethiopia. A discrete choice model of household preferences for clean cooking alternatives," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1763-1773.
    15. Ian H. Rowlands, 2011. "Co-impacts of energy-related climate change mitigation in Africa�s least developed countries: the evidence base and research needs," GRI Working Papers 39, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    16. Uche M. Ozughalu & Fidelis O. Ogwumike, 2019. "Extreme Energy Poverty Incidence and Determinants in Nigeria: A Multidimensional Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 997-1014, April.
    17. Adusah-Poku, Frank & Takeuchi, Kenji, 2019. "Energy poverty in Ghana: Any progress so far?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 853-864.
    18. Bekhzod Kuziboev & Jaroslav Vlach & Alibek Rajabov & Ergash Ibadullaev & Umidjon Matyakubov & Murod Nazarov & Mokhirakhon Mirkhoshimova, 2024. "Quantile and Threshold Effect of Electricity Consumption on Happiness in Central Asia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(1), pages 321-328, January.
    19. Bhanot, Jaya & Jha, Vivek, 2012. "Moving towards tangible decision-making tools for policy makers: Measuring and monitoring energy access provision," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(S1), pages 64-70.
    20. Iyabo Adeola Olanrele, 2020. "Assessing the Effects of Rural Electrification on Household Welfare in Nigeria," Journal of Infrastructure Development, India Development Foundation, vol. 12(1), pages 7-24, June.
    21. Rus’an Nasrudin & Qisha Quarina & Teguh Dartanto, 2022. "Revisiting the Energy-Happiness Paradox: A Quasi-Experimental Evidence of Electricity Access in Indonesia," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 3549-3576, October.
    22. Frank Adusah‐Poku & Kwame Adjei‐Mantey & Paul A. Kwakwa, 2021. "Are energy‐poor households also poor? Evidence from Ghana," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 32-58, March.

    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. F. le R. Booysen, 2001. "Non‐Payment Of Services: A Problem Of Ability‐To‐Pay," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 69(4), pages 674-697, December.
    2. Charlier, Dorothée & Legendre, Bérangère, 2021. "Fuel poverty in industrialized countries: Definition, measures and policy implications a review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    3. Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Измерение И Анализ Бедности [Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10492, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Barnes, Douglas F. & Samad, Hussain A., 2010. "Energy poverty in rural and urban India : are the energy poor also income poor ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5463, The World Bank.
    5. Bronfman, Javier, 2007. "Poverty Lines, What are they telling us?," MPRA Paper 63263, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Apr 2009.
    6. Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Medición y análisis de la pobreza [Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10491, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Dorothee Charlier and Berangere Legendre, 2019. "A Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Fuel Poverty," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    8. Barnes, Douglas F. & Khandker, Shahidur R. & Samad, Hussain A., 2011. "Energy poverty in rural Bangladesh," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 894-904, February.
    9. Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Mesure et analyse de la pauvreté [Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10490, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Gianluigi De Gennaro & Paolo Rosario Dambruoso & Alessia Di Gilio & Valerio Di Palma & Annalisa Marzocca & Maria Tutino, 2015. "Discontinuous and Continuous Indoor Air Quality Monitoring in Homes with Fireplaces or Wood Stoves as Heating System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. He, Xiaoping & Reiner, David, 2016. "Electricity demand and basic needs: Empirical evidence from China's households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 212-221.
    12. Belhadj, Besma & Limam, Mohamed, 2012. "Unidimensional and multidimensional fuzzy poverty measures: New approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 995-1002.
    13. Francisco J. Ciocchini & Gabriel Molteni, 2008. "Medidas alternativas de la pobreza en el Gran Buenos Aires, 1995-2006," Ensayos de Política Económica, Departamento de Investigación Francisco Valsecchi, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina., vol. 1(2), pages 46-82, Octubre.
    14. David Stifel & Tassew Woldehanna, 2015. "Estimating utility-consistent poverty in Ethiopia, 2000-11," WIDER Working Paper Series 142, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Tesfaye Alemayehu Gebremedhin & Stephen Whelan, 2008. "Prices and Poverty in Urban Ethiopia 1," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 17(1), pages 1-33, January.
    16. Marion Mercier & Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke & Philip Verwimp, 2016. "Violence exposure and welfare over time: Evidence from the Burundi civil war," HiCN Working Papers 198 updated, Households in Conflict Network.
    17. Russell Davidson & Jean-Yves Duclos, 2000. "Statistical Inference for Stochastic Dominance and for the Measurement of Poverty and Inequality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 68(6), pages 1435-1464, November.
    18. Stifel, David & Woldehanna, Tassew, 2014. "Utility-consistent poverty in Ethiopia, 2000-11: Welfare improvements in a changing economic landscape," WIDER Working Paper Series 125, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Christophe Muller, 2006. "Defining Poverty Lines As a Fraction of Central Tendency," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 72(3), pages 720-729, January.

    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:wbk:wbrwps:5332. 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: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    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.