Replication data for: The Effects of Rural Electrification on Employment: New Evidence from South Africa

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Taryn Dinkelman

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Project Citation:

Dinkelman, Taryn. Replication data for: The Effects of Rural Electrification on Employment: New Evidence from South Africa. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2011. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-10-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/E112474V1

Project Description

Summary: This paper estimates the impact of electrification on employment growth by analyzing South Africa's mass roll-out of electricity to rural households. Using several new data sources and two different identification strategies (an instrumental variables strategy and a fixed effects approach), I find that electrification significantly raises female employment within five years. This new infrastructure appears to increase hours of work for men and women, while reducing female wages and increasing male earnings. Several pieces of evidence suggest that household electrification raises employment by releasing women from home production and enabling microenterprises. Migration behavior may also be affected. (JEL H54, L94, L98, O15, O18, R23)

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      H54 National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Infrastructures; Other Public Investment and Capital Stock
      L94 Electric Utilities
      L98 Industry Studies: Utilities and Transportation: Government Policy
      O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
      O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
      R23 Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics

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Published Versions

V1 [2019-10-11]

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Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

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