| 研究開始時の研究の概要 |
Economic theory suggests that access to electricity will directly affect the household technology, reduce inefficiencies, and benefit households from time savings. Electricity in developing countries are also expected to displace the traditional cooking fuel such as firewood. The firewood collection and use of traditional fuel is time consuming. This study will examine effect of grid electricity on time use and self reported health (due to improvement in indoor air quality).
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| 研究実績の概要 |
There were two rounds of elections in Bhutan (national council and national assembly), so I could not obtain permission to conduct the field experiment. However, using secondary data collected for the same research, I examined the effect of grid electricity on social capital in rural Bhutan. I have completed the paper and submitted it to the journal "Empirical Economics." After receiving a "Revise and Resubmit" request, I resubmitted it, and it is currently under review. I also plan to conduct a field experiment in September 2024, and preparations are currently underway.
Social capital is now recognized as an important policy intervention due to its ability to overcome market failures, particularly through trust and cooperation. However, social capital is susceptible to external factors such as electricity provision. This study examines the effect of electricity on social capital, particularly household-level trust and social interactions. To address the endogeneity of electricity provision, we estimate a bivariate probit model using plausibly exogenous land gradient as an instrument. Our results show that in the short run, the effect of electricity on various measures of social capital is not distinguishable from zero. However, we do find some evidence of a heterogeneous effect, where female-headed and electrified households are positively correlated with social interaction and trust.
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| 今後の研究の推進方策 |
Currently, I am in process of obtaining permission to conduct field experiment in Bhutan. I am also revising and updating the questionaries. I have also contacted Royal University of Bhutan to help me in getting their help to conduct field experiment and baseline survey. To mitigate the recent rise the cost, I am planning to conduct the baseline survey and experiment together.
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