主題｜Powering Rural Transformation: The Impact of Small Hydropower on Household Consumption and Agricultural Production
時間｜Time：5.07（周三）上午10: 00-12: 00
地點｜Venue：文澴樓教室｜Room 809，WENHUAN
主辦單位｜Organizer：澳门永利集团304官网手机
承辦單位｜Operator：數實融合研究中心；北京大學-中南财經政法大學新結構經濟學研究中心
主講｜Speaker
王敏，北京大學國家發展研究院副教授（長聘）；北大環境與能源經濟研究中心副主任；China Economic Review共同主編（Co-Editor）。研究話題主要包括環境與資源經濟學、能源經濟學、氣候變化與宏觀發展等。在中英文經濟學期刊上發表30多篇學術論文，其中多篇論文發表在Economic Theory, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking等經濟學領域國際頂級期刊，以及《經濟研究》、《經濟學》（季刊）、《管理世界》、《世界經濟》等中文經濟學權威期刊。
摘要｜Abstract
Expanding electricity access has profound effects on economic behavior in developing countries. Small hydropower (SHP), as a clean, decentralized, and flexible energy source, played a crucial role in the early stages of China's rural electrification. This paper evaluates the impacts of rural electrification policies on SHP development and subsequent changes in household consumption and agricultural production, leveraging data from over 1,500 counties across China. Using a difference-in-differences (DID) framework, we examine the effects of three waves of the Rural Primary Electrification Program implemented between 1980 and 2000. We find that counties subject to electrification reforms experienced a 25% increase in total installed SHP capacity compared to non-reform counties. Using these policy-induced variations as an instrumental variable for SHP expansion, we further explore its consequent effects. On the consumption side, increased SHP capacity significantly boosted household ownership of electric appliances, such as washing machines, refrigerator, and televisions, with heterogeneous effects across income groups. On the production side, enhanced electricity access increased the total power of agricultural machinery, expanded grain acreage, and raised crop output. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that improved electricity access particularly promoted the cultivation of high-water-demand crops, such as rice, by facilitating greater agricultural labor input and mechanization. Overall, the findings highlight the broader economic transformations induced by rural electrification beyond mere access to electricity, underscoring the importance of clean decentralized energy in promoting rural development.
