Energy and Economic Development: What We Know and What We Should Know

While energy sector development is rightly seen as key to broader economic development and poverty reduction, empirical evidence on some important aspects of the energy-development nexus remains surprisingly thin.  After presenting the contours of the energy and development topic broadly, the presentation will review what we know about the connections, conceptually and empirically, and what we need to better understand.  Topics addressed will include: the economic value of increased electricity availability and reliability; barriers to widespread adoption of modern cooking energy sources; links between energy poverty and security; and the political economy of the energy sector in developing countries.

Speaker: Morgan Bazilian, lead energy specialist, World Bank and Michael Toman, Development Research Group, World Bank