Reforming Electricity Reforms?

Electricity Liberalisation in Developing Countries

“…A number have unbundled their state-owned enterprises, but by itself this is simply a reform of public, or corporate, administration. It may have beneficial effects—Sen et al (2016) find that corporatisation of public utilities is one of the few reforms associated with improved performance—but it does not create a market, nor a ‘stage’ in creating a market. A majority of countries have now unbundled in some form or other, but only two countries have created retail markets, and only four or five have set up wholesale markets.…”

“…Developing countries have been slower to implement the model in full, with the actual development of policies usually treated as a series of stages on the road to full liberalisation–‘intermediate structures’ which can themselves ‘attract private sector participation’ (Besant-Jones & Vagliasindi, 2013). A growing number of studies in developing countries have documented similar evidence that the expected impact on prices and performance is lacking, compounded by limited progress on renewables (Dagdeviren, 2009; IEA, 2015; Sen, Nepal, & Tooraj., 2016). Most conclude that the reform process itself needs to be revised in various ways, but retain the core approach: ‘a new consistent market framework is needed’ (IEA, 2015), or “reform” of electricity reforms’ (Sen et al, 2016).…”

“…A growing number of studies in developing countries have documented similar evidence that the expected impact on prices and performance is lacking, compounded by limited progress on renewables (Dagdeviren, 2009; IEA, 2015; Sen, Nepal, & Tooraj., 2016). Most conclude that the reform process itself needs to be revised in various ways, but retain the core approach: ‘a new consistent market framework is needed’ (IEA, 2015), or “reform” of electricity reforms’ (Sen et al, 2016).…”

Assessing the Impact of Renewable Energy Policies on Decarbonization in Developing Countries

“…A small body of this research (Cubbin & Stern, 2006;Nagayama, 2009;Sen et al, 2016;Urpelainen et al, 2018), like this study, attempts to address endogeneity issues using the instrumental variables (IVs) approach. None of the studies using IV approaches has examined climate-related outcomes of power sector reform.…”

A Quarter Century Effort Yet to Come of Age: A Survey of Electricity Sector Reform in Developing Countries

“…Since the 2000s, a number of studies, have examined the institutional aspects of reforms on electricity sector performance and concluded that an effective institutional framework is a prerequisite for managing a reformed power sector. This led to the realization that much of the observed heterogeneity in the performance of reforms was due to the inability of the policy makers to properly understand and take into account the country specific context of reforms (Sen et al, 2016).…”