主题｜Powering Rural Transformation: The Impact of Small Hydropower on Household Consumption and Agricultural Production
时间｜Time：5.07（周三）上午10: 00-12: 00
地点｜Venue：文澴楼教室｜Room 809，WENHUAN
主办单位｜Organizer：文澜学院
承办单位｜Operator：数实融合研究中心；北京大学-中南财经政法大学新结构经济学研究中心
主讲｜Speaker
王敏，北京大学国家发展研究院副教授（长聘）；北大环境与能源经济研究中心副主任；China Economic Review共同主编（Co-Editor）。研究话题主要包括环境与资源经济学、能源经济学、气候变化与宏观发展等。在中英文经济学期刊上发表30多篇学术论文，其中多篇论文发表在Economic Theory, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking等经济学领域国际顶级期刊，以及《经济研究》、《经济学》（季刊）、《管理世界》、《世界经济》等中文经济学权威期刊。
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.
