Researchers at the Environment and Climate Research Center (ECRC) based at the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) have been awarded research funding for a project entitled “Impacts and Drivers of Policies for Electricity Access: Micro-and-Macroeconomic Evidence from Ethiopia”
The research project is funded by Energy and Economic Growth (EEG) through Oxford Policy Management (OPM). The project will be based in Ethiopia and it will be conducted in collaboration with several domestic partners, including: the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE), the Ethiopian Electricity Utility (EEU) and Addis Ababa University (AAU). In addition, the project has international partnerships with: the Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiatives (SETI) at Duke University, the World Bank and University College London. The principal investigator is Dr. Abebe D. Beyene, a Senior Research Fellow at the Environment and Climate Research center (ECRC) based at the Policy Studies Institute (PSI).
The objective of this project is to fill knowledge gaps by studying the role electricity pricing reform has on consumer and enterprise energy consumption, and assess its impact on the overall economy. In addition, it will assess the role of electricity pricing on private sector participation in the power market. Various empirical methods such as economy-wide computable general equilibrium modelling (CGE), natural experiments, randomized control trial experiments (RCT), propensity score matching/switching regression (PSM/ESR), non-market valuation techniques, and a qualitative systematic review will be employed.
The findings from this project are expected to inform interventions that would enhance the government’s efforts to expand access to electricity, address inefficiency in energy consumption, and contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country. It is also expected to contribute to the capacity building of the staff members of MoWIE and junior researchers from AAU and ECRC/EDRI.
The results of the research project will be published in peer-reviewed journals and will also be presented in a workshop co-organized by ECRC/PSI and MoWIE. It will also be presented in annual meetings to be held and organized by SETI at Duke, EfD, and other international conferences. In addition to producing scientific research papers, we plan to prepare policy briefs, science-based blogs and seminar presentations to reach all relevant stakeholders.
Project life: 2019-2021