Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index Research Articles

Estimations of Multidimensional Energy Poverty in Tanzania

This study assesses the level of multidimensional energy poverty in Tanzania. The study uses descriptive and inferential statistics based on data from the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), as they provide the most comprehensive datasets for this analysis. The analysis revealed that 74.1% of households were in rural areas, while the remaining 25.9% were in urban areas. Moreover, the study found that 80.6% of household heads were considered multidimensionally energy-poor. For inferential statistics, the Alkire-Foster estimates found that 81.2% of households in Tanzania were multidimensionally energy-poor, with higher rates of energy poverty in rural areas (94.2%) and among female-headed households (84.0%). Moreover, the findings show that the dimension of modern fuel contributes the most to the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI) (43.6%) compared to the asset (17.9%) and education (38.5%) dimensions. The study recommends that Tanzania invest in expanding access to modern cooking fuels and electricity, improving asset ownership, and enhancing educational opportunities to address multidimensional energy poverty. We recommend that the government emphasize and focus on both renewable energy and energy efficiency development in the country by implementing energy initiatives based on National Energy Policy 2015 to increase access to modern energy services and share renewable energies in the electricity generation mix to enhance availability, reliability, and security of supply.

Energy Poverty and Subjective Wellbeing: Empirical Analysis in Indonesia

As stated in the Sustainable Development Goals, energy poverty is a severe problem that is a priority for the United Nations to eradicate. In general, the study on energy poverty is concerned with objective indicators. More study still needs to evaluate energy poverty with subjective indicators, especially in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the relationship between energy poverty as measured by the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index which is proxied by happiness. Based on consumer theory that an individual's utility in meeting their needs will influence their satisfaction, where satisfaction is closely related to happiness, it is hypothesized that there is a relationship between energy poverty, where someone has limited access to energy, which will harm their happiness—estimated using the panel fixed effect method using 17,918 individual data obtained from IFLS4 (2007) and IFLS5 (2014) survey data. These findings suggest that energy poverty is detrimental to personal happiness. Using firewood for cooking, not having access to electricity, and not having a refrigerator or TV are signs of low energy and significantly impact happiness. Access to energy is very influential in making everyday life easier, increasing productivity and quality of life for individuals.

Multidimensional energy poverty: A study of its measurement, decomposition, and determinants in Indonesia

This study estimated Indonesian households' Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI) using Alkire-Foster's multidimensional poverty concept to capture the incidence, intensity, decomposition, and changes over time. The study used monetary and non-monetary variables to identify the availability, accessibility, affordability, consumption, and deprivation of modern energy services; and compared existing affordability indicators. Redundancy, robustness, and sensitivity tests were conducted with three weighting schemes and deprivation cut-offs. The study decomposed and determined household-head (HH) socio-economic, demographic, and geographic factors for MEP using the Logit, Probit, Tobit, and Heckman Selection models. The results show that the low-income and high cost (LIHC) was the most robust affordability indicator, followed by the ten percent rule (TPR). The complement-frequency weighting scheme gave the smallest and most robust MEPI compared to equal and principal component analysis (PCA) weighting. Three alternative deprivation cut-offs can show households as “vulnerable,” “moderately,” or “severely” energy poor. The MEP incidence decreased, but its intensity remained high and increased. Energy-poor households were averagely deprived of 55–60 % of all weighted indicators. The lack of modern cooking services was the primary cause. MEPI differed by geographical location and HH gender, education, business field, and employment status. Policies that boost education levels, raise household income, and increase the availability, accessibility, and affordability of modern cooking technology in the rural, hinterland, or non-coastal forested locations in the eastern islands of Indonesia may minimize the number of households experiencing MEP.

Spatial and temporal patterns of energy aid and poverty in four African countries: Focusing on distributive and recognition justice

Energy poverty and unequal access to electricity are critical issues in African countries, underscoring the importance of understanding energy aid, a significant determinant, and its allocation. This study employs a framework of energy justice to investigate the spatial-temporal patterns of energy aid and the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI) over two decades (2001–2020) in four African countries: Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We first explore the realm of distributive justice by scrutinizing where energy aid concentrates. Then, to tackle the domain of recognition justice, we analyze whether regions in need have benefited from energy aid through a comparison of regional MEPI and aid spending. The results indicate that energy aid is focused toward capital cities or urbanized areas, and analogous patterns are evident in electricity distribution and renewable energy sectors. The persistence of such patterns results in a temporal continuum of regional energy imbalances, with many marginalized groups not receiving sufficient aid. These findings highlight the importance of considering spatial and temporal aspects in pursuing energy justice while advocating for an equitable aid allocation to ensure an energy-just world.

Cold, dark and malnourished: a cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between energy poverty and household burden of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa

ObjectiveEnergy poverty contributes to the general well-being of households; however, there is representational paucity on its role in household nutrition across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study examined the influence of...

Thinking of the children: Energy poverty and acute respiratory infections among young children in South Asia

Energy poverty has been extensively studied in the literature regarding its impact on physical, mental, and maternity health as well as the social well-being of adults. However, there is still a research gap in understanding how energy poverty specifically affects the health of young children under the age of five, particularly toward the occurrence of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). To address this gap, this paper aims to clarify the link between energy poverty and acute respiratory illness among young children in South Asia. We utilized data from five demographic and health surveys conducted between 2015 and 2018, encompassing 292,196 young children. Employing the multidimensional energy poverty index and principal component analysis, we assessed energy poverty at the household level, considering indicators such as lack of electricity, clean cooking fuels, indoor smoke, and lifestyle-sustaining devices. Applying multilevel logistic and probit instrumental variable regression models, this study revealed that multidimensional energy poverty significantly triggers the risk of ARI among young children. Specifically, a 1 % increase in energy poverty leads to a 48 % increase in the odds of developing ARI among young children in South Asian households. Furthermore, regional disparities in the impact of energy poverty on respiratory infections were identified. Our findings remain robust across different methods and measures of energy poverty. The findings of this research work have a significant policy implication for ensuring sustainable energy services to improve children's health, contributing to sustainable development goals 3 (good health and well-being) and 7 (affordable and clean energy).

Multidimensional energy poverty and acute respiratory infection in children under 5 years of age: evidence from 22 low-income and middle-income countries

BackgroundIn low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), energy poverty has predominantly been studied from the unidimensional perspective of indoor air pollution. Acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children under 5 years of...

Implications of land restitution as a Transformative Social Policy for Water-Energy-Food (WEF) insecurity in Magareng Local Municipality, South Africa

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of land restitution policy on water, energy, and food insecurity in South Africa. The study utilised a cross-sectional survey of 1 184 households from Matatiele, Greater Taung and Magareng Local Municipalities. The Household Water Insecurity Experience, Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index and Household Food In-access Scale were used to analyse water, energy, and food insecurity, respectively, while Propensity Score Matching was used to assess the impact of benefiting from land restitution on insecurities in these resources. The results of the study indicate that beneficiaries of land restitution were relatively more water secure but were however somehow food secure and energy insecure. Furthermore, educational levels, tenure, employment status, household size, gender and main source of income were significant determinants of becoming a beneficiary of land restitution as well as the water, energy, and food insecurities. In addition, benefiting from land restitution increased water and energy insecurities by 15.0% and 24.2%, respectively, while reducing food insecurity by 10.1%. The study concludes that land restitution has improved the food security status of the beneficiaries while it has reduced their water and energy securities. The study recommends augmenting the indigent policy supplementing poor households with free water and energy to improve securities, especially for land restitution beneficiaries. Promotion of renewable energy such as solar, which can provide a nexus in energy for water supply can aid in improving localised water and energy securities for land restitution beneficiaries.

Energy poverty assessment and the impact of Covid-19: An empirical analysis of Colombia

The reduction of energy poverty plays an important role in achieving three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action. This article contributes to the literature through its integrated application of economic and engineering approaches to energy poverty assessment. The article develops an energy poverty assessment approach centred on four steps: (i) descriptive statistics; (ii) Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI); (iii) energy ladder; and (iv) econometric assessment. The approach is applied to a large data sample for rural and urban areas of Colombia and results show correlations between income level, socioeconomic status, choice of cooking energy source and education level. The correlations are analysed with data from before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The energy poverty assessment approach can be applied in developed and developing countries by researchers and experts creating knowledge for policymakers. From the Colombian case it is established that energy policy should target advancing even further along the energy ladder towards clean, affordable, and safe energy combined with appropriate renewable energy sources.

Can digitalization alleviate multidimensional energy poverty in rural China? Designing a policy framework for achieving the sustainable development goals

The material foundation for societal advancement and human survival is energy. The advancement of digitalization has emerged as a brand-new force behind the advancement of society. Scholars from a variety of nations are starting to concentrate on the ways that the growth of digitalization affects social sustainability. However, the impact of digitization on multidimensional energy poverty (MEP) in rural China has not yet been proven. There is no micro-empirical evidence on how the introduction of digitization into MEP contributes to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). In this study, we construct a multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) for rural households in China based on Alkire and Foster's theory, use mixed methods to explore the contribution of each energy poverty dimension to MEP, and empirically test the impact of digital development on the MEP of farm households. Our results show that cultural recreation in rural areas has the highest contribution to MEP. In addition, digital empowerment mitigates MEP, with the largest effect on cultural entertainment but not on household equipment poverty. Based on the empirical results of this paper, we have designed a policy framework for China and other developing countries with similar MEP problems to achieve some of the UN SDGs.

Multidimensional Energy Poverty in China: Measurement and Spatio-Temporal Disparities Characteristics.

As the world's most populous country, China's energy poverty reduction achievements directly impact the global energy poverty reduction process. Analyzing energy poverty in China is therefore critical to consolidating the results of poverty eradication, eliminating relative poverty, and improving the social welfare of residents. However, prior research neither considered the applicability of existing energy poverty indicators to the current Chinese reality, nor the spatiotemporal disparities of energy poverty using micro-level data. To study the dynamics of energy poverty in China at the household level, a new multidimensional energy poverty index is constructed with seven dimensions using multiple correspondence analysis methods. Furthermore, provincial disparities and characteristics of energy poverty are compared using a spatial autocorrelation analysis method. The findings show that energy poverty has improved in China from 2012 to 2018, but its incidence and intensity remain high. Moreover, significant regional differences in energy poverty exist between different regions of China. High levels of energy poverty are mainly concentrated in the western and northeastern regions (especially in rural areas), and the urban-rural gap shows a similar pattern. The results obtained from spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrate that China's energy poverty exhibits significant spatial clustering characteristics. Further, the results of standard deviation ellipse show that during the study period, the center of gravity of energy poverty in China was in Henan province and gradually shifted to the northwest. These findings help policymakers to formulate specific energy poverty reduction policies for various groups affected by energy poverty.

The conflict between natural resource use and welfare supply — Natural resources is a bless or a curse?

The use of natural resources has brought economic prosperity and material wealth but also brought environmental pollution and conflict chaos. Similarly, the use of natural resources has a dual impact on the welfare supply of residents, and it is not only gifts but also curses. As an essential part of natural resources, the collection and consumption of natural energy are directly related to the welfare supply of residents. Therefore, this paper constructs a multi-dimensional energy poverty index based on energy availability, cleanliness, and infrastructure to characterize the use of natural energy. The index shows that China's energy poverty index declined gradually from 2008 to 2018, and natural resource use efficiency has risen. The average value of the Dagum Gini coefficient is 0.1609, which indicates that energy development among regions in China is relatively fair. The panel regression model shows that energy poverty has a positive effect on the happiness of residents, which can also be interpreted as a negative effect of natural resource use on welfare supply In terms of mediating effects, air pollution has a masking impact on the path of energy poverty affecting residents' happiness, with the more severe energy poverty being associated with less air pollution, thus enhancing residents' happiness. This study will help China formulate future natural energy development policies to use energy more efficiently, reduce environmental pollution and improve residents' well-being.

Does financial market participation eradicate household energy poverty?

Energy poverty eradication is essential for achieving sustainable development goals; however, household financial participation behavior in eliminating energy poverty has not been received much attention. In this study, the impact of financial market participation on household energy poverty was investigated by applying the multidimensional energy poverty index measured by the entropy method and using data from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey. The results showed that financial market participation significantly reduced household energy poverty. Meanwhile, future expectation was an important mediating mechanism in this process. Moreover, the increase in financial risk reduced the effect of future expectation on household energy poverty because higher financial risk weakened household financial stability. The findings offered a new perspective on eradicating household energy poverty by promoting financial market participation.

Analysis of energy poverty in Kenya and its implications for human health

Limited access to modern energy is a pressing issue and has necessitated scholarly discourse on energy poverty, especially in developing countries. This paper investigated energy poverty in Kenya and its implications on human health using the multidimensional energy poverty framework, propensity score matching and marginal structural models. The results indicate that energy poverty is relatively high in the North Eastern parts of Kenya, with multidimensional energy poverty (MEP) index of 0.62. In this region, 87.5% of households were classified as acute energy poor. Rift valley, Western, Nyanza, Eastern, Coast and Central had MEP values of 0.56, 0.55, 0.54, 0.52, 0.50 and 0.43, respectively. Nairobi region recorded the least MEP at 0.21, with 72.9% of households classified in the low energy poor category. The MEP index for rural areas was high compared to urban areas. This study confirmed a strong, statistically significant impact of energy poverty on human health. Causal relative risk and causal risk differences of 1.883 and 1.403, respectively, were observed between energy poverty and health. There is a need for deliberate policy action to ensure the availability of modern energy at affordable prices. There is also an urgent need of mainstreaming health in energy policies.

Patterns and determinants of multidimensional poverty in secondary cities: Implications for urban sustainability in African cities

Urban poverty research on African cities has focused mainly on megacities and large metropolitan areas. Despite their critical role in Africa's urbanization and development, secondary cities have received limited scholarly attention. Studies on secondary cities are unidimensional and rely mostly on secondary information from national census data. Using Wa, a secondary city in Ghana, this study assesses spatial patterns and determinants of multidimensional poverty, measured by two metrics: multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI). Spatially explicit primary data were collected from 775 households differentiated into core and fringe neighbourhoods. Mean MPI was significantly lower in core neighbourhoods than in fringe neighbourhoods. However, we found no statistically significant difference in MEPI between core and fringe neighbourhoods. The distribution of MPI is variably influenced by location and space but not MEPI. Although MPI was generally low, most areas with low MPI still had high MEPI, suggesting that energy access may be major problem even in secondary cities with low poverty. MPI was largely influenced negatively by household size and education. There was a significant negative relationship between MEPI and the food consumption score, suggesting a strong inverse relationship between food security and energy poverty. Together, the findings imply that scaling up the adoption of clean cooking energy in secondary cities can play a key role in addressing multidimensional urban poverty and advancing urban sustainability.

Energy Poverty and Human Development: Empirical Evidence from Rural Rajasthan, India

This study attempts to establish the linkage between human development and energy poverty for rural households and evaluate the impact of government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, free electricity and unemployment allowance on human development. For the analysis purpose, primary data have been collected from rural areas of two main districts of the Shekhawati region of the state of Rajasthan in India. To pursue the objectives, two measures of energy poverty – energy deprivation and the multidimensional energy poverty index – and one measure of human development – the human development index – have been constructed. The primary survey of 1,000 households is conducted from January to March 2020. For establishing the empirical relationship, the study has used Tobit regression analysis. The findings confirm the hypothesis that the existence of energy poverty adversely affects the level of human development in the region. It also confirms the other side of the relationship, which states that increasing human development reduces energy poverty through various linkages. The study results reveal that the government scheme which directly contributes to the per capita income is also impacting positively human development through an increase in income. Hence, to improve the level of human development and to decline energy poverty, the study recommends policies to improve the overall level of income of households. JEL Classification Codes: I32, O13, O15, Q40

Multidimensional Indicator of Energy Poverty in South Africa Using the Fuzzy Set Approach

The electricity supply in South Africa is characterized by load-shedding. This study analyzed the determinants of the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) in South Africa. The data, which were taken from the 2019–2021 General Household Survey (GHS), were analyzed using Tobit regression. The results showed that between 2019 and 2021, the use of clean energy for cooking declined from 85.97% to 85.68%, respectively, whereas the use of clean energy for water heating declined from 87.24% in 2020 to 86.55% in 2021. Space heating with clean energy declined from 53.57% in 2019 to 50.35% in 2021. The average fuzzy MEPI was 0.143 and Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces had the highest average values with 0.180 and 0.176, respectively. In the combined dataset, the Tobit regression results showed that, compared to Western Cape, the fuzzy MEPI significantly decreased (p < 0.01) by −0.038, 0.028, 0.045, 0.023, 0.029, 0.038, 0.037, and 0.042 for residents in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces, respectively. In addition, the fuzzy MEPI for the Black, Coloured, Asian, and White respondents decreased by 0.042, 0.062, and 0.084, respectively. The fuzzy MEPI for male-headed households and the number of social grants increased, whereas the fuzzy MEPI significantly decreased (p < 0.01) for the monthly salary and age of household heads. It was concluded that energy poverty in South Africa manifests through unclean energy utilization for space heating. The promotion of clean energy utilization should focus on deprived provinces, farms, and tribal areas.

Assessing the Level of Energy Poverty Using a Synthetic Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index in EU Countries

The purpose of the article is to analyse the level of energy poverty in the EU member states for the period 2010–2020. The research was carried out on the basis of the author’s Synthetic Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index created on the basis of the zero-unitarization method. The proposed index allowed for the integration of 4 out of 13 indicators provided for the study of energy poverty in the Recommendation of the European Commission 2020, and 1 selected by the authors. The assessment of changes in the level of energy poverty over time in 24 EU countries using the method used adds value compared to the assessment methods used so far in this area. Previous studies of energy poverty levels have focused on individual countries or small groups of countries. Rarely have such studies covered the majority of EU countries, and even more rarely have they been conducted over a long period of time. The study carried out showed significant differences in energy poverty levels among EU members. Results obtained not only reflect the progress of member countries in reducing energy poverty, but also allow for a discussion on future approaches regarding its reduction.

Does the belt and road initiative alleviate energy poverty in participating countries?

This study employs a difference-in-difference approach to examine the effects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on energy poverty in 114 countries from 2005 to 2016. We use the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to filter control variables so as to increase interpretability. We find that BRI has alleviated energy poverty, with multi-dimensional energy poverty index decreasing by 1.75% to 2.30%. BRI plays a more significant role in alleviating energy poverty in Maritime Silk Road (MSR) countries than in Land Silk Road (LSR) countries. BRI alleviates energy poverty in energy-rich and energy-poor countries. We also find that BRI and high national income have significantly alleviating effects on energy poverty across BRI countries by a triple difference analysis. We further find that facility construction and industry development alleviate more energy poverty in MSR countries than in LSR countries. Industry development improves energy production and supply for energy-rich countries and energy infrastructure ensures energy availability for energy-poor countries. Technology cooperation and humanitarian aid alleviate energy poverty in MSR countries, LSR countries, energy-rich countries and energy-poor countries, while financial support is statistically insignificant for the four groups of countries. BRI contributes to tackling global challenges and achieving the United Nation 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

A multidimensional energy poverty measurement in China - Based on the entropy method

Although energy poverty has obtained wide focus in recent years, there is no consensus on the measurement of energy poverty. Given that China is experiencing socio-economic transformation as well as energy transition, this paper employed a total of 28 indicators, which representing three categories (energy service availability, energy consumption and generation cleanliness, and residential energy affordability and efficiency) that capture China's features as well as consider policy factors, to develop a new multi-dimensional energy poverty index by using entropy weight method. The result reveals that the energy poverty level has been improved nationwide for the period 2014–2019; three sub-indices also show downward trends while household energy affordability and efficiency suggests the fastest improvement; however, significant differences exist in energy poverty not only between urban and rural areas but also across provinces in China. Policy recommendations are as follows: continue to promote rural power grid renovation and upgrading and the construction of natural gas pipelines, increase clean energy support; encourage diversified development of rural energy supply methods, and provide more innovative and diversified green energy and financial products.