Research
Research
Peer-reviewed publications (Selected)
Working papers
Powering Progress: Evaluating the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Bhutan’s Rural Electricity Subsidy Program (Job Market Paper):
Abstract
In this paper, I study the economic and environmental impacts of Bhutan’s Rural Electricity Subsidy Program (RESP), launched in 2013 to expand affordable access to clean energy while reducing dependence on traditional biomass fuels. The program provides rural households with the first 100 kWh of electricity per month free of charge, with extra consumption billed at the prevailing block tariff. Using three rounds of the Bhutan Living Standards Survey (2007, 2012, and 2022), I estimate the causal effects of the RESP on household energy consumption, appliance adoption, and environmental outcomes. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) and Event-Study framework, along with entropy balancing, I find that the program led to a decrease in household firewood consumption by 53-70 percent, with 14-19 percent of households abandoning firewood completely. The decline in aggregate firewood use is driven primarily by households exiting firewood altogether rather than by reduced intensity among continuing users. The adoption of electric appliances accounts for roughly one-quarter of the observed decrease in firewood use, indicating the presence of a substitution effect. Despite substantial reductions in firewood use, I find no statistically significant impacts on local forest-loss rates, which is consistent with existing evidence that household firewood collection is not a primary driver of deforestation. Lastly, these findings suggest the importance of targeted electricity subsidies in promoting clean energy transitions in developing countries.
JEL Classification Codes: Q41; Q42; Q56; O13; O53
Keywords: Bhutan, Electricity Subsidy, Firewood Consumption, Entropy Balance, Difference-in-Differences.
Evaluating the Impact of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) on Energy Consumption and Household Debt Dynamics in the United States.
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between household debt and residential energy consumption in the United States, with particular attention to the moderating role of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Using county-level panel data spanning 1999–2023, the analysis employs a fixed-effects framework combined with an instrumental variables strategy to address potential endogeneity in household debt. The results indicate that higher household debt is associated with lower residential energy consumption, with the effect concentrated in natural gas expenditures rather than electricity. This pattern suggests that financially constrained households disproportionately adjust heating usage, which is more elastic in the short run, relative to electricity consumption. Furthermore, the findings show that LIHEAP significantly attenuates the negative relationship between household debt and energy expenditures, particularly for natural gas, thereby reducing vulnerability to energy insecurity among low-income households. Overall, the results underscore the interaction between household financial constraints and energy consumption decisions, and highlight the role of targeted energy assistance programs in buffering the welfare consequences of debt-induced consumption adjustments. These findings have implications for the design of energy affordability policies and broader financial stability interventions aimed at enhancing household resilience.
Work in progress
Evaluating Cost-Effective Strategies for Clean Cooking Adoption: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Nepal
This project has been awarded a USD 65,000 research grant by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). This study explores whether combining consumption subsidies with partial cost-sharing can promote sustained use of electric stoves, offering policy-relevant insights for clean energy transitions in low-income settings.
Do Different Indicators of Energy Poverty Paint Different Pictures?
This is an empirical investigation into how various energy poverty metrics may yield contrasting outcomes.
Did Rapid Electricity Expansion Bring About Any Forest Cover Improvement in South Asia? (with Dil Rahut) This project analyzes the relationship between rural electrification and environmental outcomes, focusing on changes in forest cover across South Asian countries.
Economic and Environmental Consequences of the U.S. Coal Power Plant Phase-Out. I estimate the effects of coal-fired power plant retirements on local employment, wages, electricity prices, and air pollution in the United States using modern causal inference methods. The project examines whether transition-assistance programs and labor mobility mitigate economic disruptions from decarbonization.