Effects of income inequality and governance on energy poverty alleviation: Implications for sustainable development policy

This paper examines the effects of income inequality and governance on access to electricity using a panel of 43 SSA countries from 1990 to 2017. The results from the two-step GMM estimator revealed that while income inequality substantially reduced access to electricity, governance has been ineffective in improving it. The findings showed that governance interacts with income inequality and economic growth to reduce access to electricity. Comparative analysis suggested that these findings vary among the SSA sub-regions. We argue that energy poverty alleviation requires firm political will and an effective governance system to close the income inequality gap.

Automated summary

This paper examines the effects of income inequality and governance on access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings indicate that income inequality significantly reduces access to electricity, while governance is ineffective in improving it. Governance interacts with income inequality and economic growth to decrease access to electricity. The results vary among different sub-regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, addressing income inequality requires strong political will and effective governance.