Time use impacts of rural electrification: Longitudinal evidence from Guatemala

Abstract

This paper examines how obtaining a household electric connection affects the time allocation of rural, indigenous Guatemalans during 2000–2011. Following the end of a thirty-six year civil war, a Rural Electrification Plan substantially expanded electricity access, and subsidized use. This public-private partnership pays companies a fixed fee for connecting households. Causal impacts on time use of individuals are identified using initial geospatial inequalities in public goods provisions within municipalities and this large change in the cost of electrifying households more distant from the electric grid. Women increased time spent working for money by about 2–3 h per day.