Electricity access advances human development…but not always

Abstract

Substantial academic literature establishes that access to electricity positively advances many facets of human development. Nevertheless, there is a not-insignificant minority of findings that deviate from this trend. This work aims to provide a broad understanding of this relationship across contexts, analysing the circumstances under which non-positive outcomes occur. The work comprised a systematic literature review which identified 92 academic works inclusive of geography, scale and method of investigation and considers human development broadly, categorising 15 human development attributes, including Health, Education, Economics, Equality and Gender Equality. The review collated evidence on the electricity access-human development relationship revealing that of 1138 reported findings, 64.1 % indicated positive outcomes, 10.5 % negative and 25.5 % neutral (negative and neutral are collectively referred to as non-positive). Additional analysis applied the Energy Services Cascade as a framework to examine these non-positive findings and elucidate the barriers preventing positive outcomes. Why these non-positive results occurred are not explained in many of the primary studies, showing a need for more research. When the non-positive findings are analysed, the most common preventative barriers related to electricity supply quantity and quality, and service affordability. Barriers caused by a disconnect between what people value compared to what is being provided were also common. This work contributes insights into the importance of understanding how individual and community values influence the structural provision of electricity access. As the 2030 deadline for SDG targets looms closer, understanding these barriers provides targeted insights for policy action. This work reiterates the importance of tracking progress in electricity access that extends beyond a focus on electricity connections.