Implementing Energy Subsidy Reforms : Evidence from Developing Countries

Vagliasindi, Maria

Washington, DC:World Bank

关键词: AIR CONDITIONING;    ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE;    APPROACH;    AVAILABILITY;    BALANCE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-9561-5
RP-ID  :  73518

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Poorly implemented energy subsidies areeconomically costly to taxpayers and damage the environmentthrough increased emissions of greenhouse gases and otherair pollutants. Energy subsidies also create distortiveprice signals and result in higher energy consumption orproduction as well as barriers to entry for cleaner energyservices. Subsidies to consumption, by lowering end-useprices, can encourage increased energy use and reduceincentives to conserve energy efficiently. Universalenergy-price subsidies tend to be regressive becausebenefits are conditional upon the purchase of subsidizedgoods and increase with expenditure. This report selected arepresentative sample of case studies in 20 developingcountries, based on a number of criteria, including thecountries' level of development (and consumption) andenergy dependency (distinguishing between net energyexporters and importers). The case studies have beenselected on the hypothesis that energy dependence and percapita income appear to be the key drivers of subsidyreforms in developing countries. Of the two criteria, energydependence is expected to be the most powerful determinantof the choice to engage in energy reforms, whereas the levelof per capita income may pose different challenges inrelation to the distributional impact of such reforms on thepoor. Energy net importers are expected to have moreincentives to undertake energy subsidy reforms when thefiscal burden of such subsidies reaches a significantpercentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), particularlywhen there are already macro unbalances related to highthresholds of public budget and debt. Low- and middle-incomecountries are expected to display a larger impact of energysubsidy reforms on consumption. This impact reflects theopportunities to influence future behavior rather thancurrent consumption trends because of inertia, vestedinterests, and the presence of affordability issues.