DAGMAWE TENAW ARGAW
<Webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/dagmawetenaw >
<e-mail: dagymanta@gmail.com / dagmawetenaw.argaw@phd.unipd.it >
Education
PhD in Economics (2021-2025) (Expected thesis Defence: January 2026)
Department of Economics and Management (DSEA) "Marco Fanno", University of Padova, Italy
My PhD Thesis: Essays on Energy and Environmental Economics:
[My Supervisors: Prof. Lorenzo Forni, Prof. Luciano G. Greco and Prof. Enrico Rettore]
The dynamics of Green energy, Energy efficiency, Economic productivity, and Energy-driven emissions in SDG context: Is there a synergistic interplay? (Published in Energy Economics).
Green and Traditional Productivity Growth with Natural Capital: the Role of Resource Depletion, Environmental Damages and Sectoral Composition (Published in Resources Policy).
Household Energy Poverty amidst Large-scale Electrification: Impacts of Grid Reliability and Off-grid Solar Technologies (Published in Energy Policy).
Large-scale Electrification and Welfare-improving Structural Transformation in the Local Economy: Infrastructural Synergies? [Job market paper]
Summary: The welfare-enhancing and transformative potential of electricity—as a general-purpose technology— in developing economies has received increased attention, yet evidence remains largely context-specific. This paper adds to the emerging literature by examining the causal impacts of recent large-scale electrification in Ethiopia on various welfare indicators associated with micro-level structural changes. It also discusses the differential roles of electrification on different socioeconomic groups, assessing the possibility of perpetuating disparities. Another novelty is that the paper explores whether complementarity between access to electricity and improved road infrastructure boosts welfare gains. The paper leverages rich panel surveys and employs novel difference-in-difference estimation strategies in binary and continuous treatment setups. The key findings reveal that electrification is a crucial driver of welfare-improving structural transformation. The electricity-induced welfare benefits are notably amplified in areas with improved road access and better grid reliability, emphasizing the importance of complementary conditions for maximizing the observed welfare gains and fostering structural changes. Afterall, beyond the normative goal of universal access to electricity, understanding how to fully realize the expected returns from grid extension would be very critical to justify its massive upfront costs. Targeted interventions are also essential to mitigate the uneven impacts of electrification projects that could otherwise exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities.
Keywords: Renewable Electrification; Road Infrastructure; Human Welfare; Structural Transformation; Grid Reliability; Ethiopia
JEL codes: I31, O13, Q40, Q48
M.Sc. in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (2016-2018)
Department of Economics, Dire Dawa University, Ethiopia
MSc Thesis: Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Modified EKC Hypothesis, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110897)
B.A. in Economics (2010-2013)
Department of Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Academic Visit
January-May 2025: Copenhagen School of Energy Infrastructure (CSEI), Department of Economics
Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark
Host Supervisor: Prof. Tooraj Jamasb
Work Experience: Teaching and Research
Sep-Dec 2025: Researcher – Short-Term Project on Pan-European Guarantee Fund Impact Evaluation
With the European Commission JRC and the European Investment Bank (EIB)
October 2023: Course Taught: Introduction to Mathematics and Statistics,
Masters Program in "European and Global Studies", University of Padova, Italy
2014-2021: Graduate assistant (2014-2016), Lecturer and Researcher (2018-2021)
Department of Economics, Dire Dawa University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
Publications and Working Papers: See Publications page
Presentation in workshops, seminars, and conferences
July 2025 22nd International Conference on Ethiopian Economy, Ethiopian Economic Association, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
April 2025 II Seminar PhD-Students on Energy and Environment, Chair of Energy Sustainability, Universitat de Barcelona School of Economics.
March 2025 CBS Department of Economics Seminar (Brown Bag Series), Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.
June 2022 joint PhD workshop (Ph.D. Day II) in Economics, Department of Economics and Management, University of Padova, Italy
July 2021 18th International Conference on Ethiopian Economy, Ethiopian Economic Association, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Journal Referring (Article Peer-reviews): see Web of Science
Energy Economics; Energy Policy; Structural Change and Economic Dynamics; Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy; Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy; International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology; Cogent Economics & Finance; Environmental Science and Pollution Research; Environmental Engineering and Management Journal …..
Research Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships:
Small Research Grant by Ronald Coase Institute (2025): How Do Institutions Affect Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries?
PhD scholarship at University of Padova (2021-2025)
Research Projects funded by Dire Dawa University (2019/20-2021/22)
Households’ Willingness To Pay for Improved Water Supply in Dire Dawa City Administration.
Determinants of Manufacturing Firm Growth in Eastern Ethiopia: The Case of Dire Dawa and Harar.
Feasibility Study for Improved Solid Waste Management in Dire Dawa City Administration.
Skills
Languages: Amharic (Native) and English (professional working proficiency)
Statistical Software: Stata, EViews
Other: Academic Research, Teaching, LaTeX, Q-GIS
References: Available on Request.