Effects of social capital on energy poverty: Evidence from the national key ecological function zones in Northeast China

Abstract

In the contemporary discourse of sustainable development, the phenomenon of energy poverty emerges as a formidable challenge to the trajectory of human progress in the 21st century. Employing a comprehensive four-period longitudinal dataset spanning from 2018 to 2021, which encapsulates the national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) in Northeast China, this study utilize two-way fixed effects models and mediating effect model to disentangle the intricate relationship between social capital and energy poverty, while also elucidating the fundamental mechanisms that underlie this association. This study shows that social capital has an inhibitory effect on energy poverty among residential households, a result substantiated by a series of robustness checks. And social capital can indirectly alleviate households' energy poverty by fostering their borrowing and lending behavior and enhancing their energy service perception. Additionally, the impact of social capital on households' energy poverty exhibits heterogeneity contingent upon their information access, business engagement, and housing conditions. This study contributes significantly to the accurate measurement of the magnitude and distribution of multidimensional energy poverty among residential households in NKEFZs in Northeast China. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights for the design of a social capital framework aimed at reducing household energy poverty.