The light at the end of the tunnel: Impact of policy on the global diffusion of fluorescent lamps

Suchita Srinivasan

Energy Policy, 2019, vol. 128, issue C, 907-918

Abstract: What are the determinants of policy choice, and how effective are policies in facilitating the diffusion of clean technologies to developing countries? To answer this question, I create a novel dataset on the adoption of policies to incentivise the diffusion of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) in 72 low and middle-income countries spanning 1993–2013. The empirical model uses the instrumental variable two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of policies such as information provision, CFL subsidies and banning the use of incandescent bulbs (IB), and analyses the factors that increase the likelihood of adopting these policies. Results suggest that information provision has had a positive effect on CFL diffusion, while subsidies have had an insignificant effect on diffusion across many countries, and a negative effect in some. The ban on IB is found to not affect CFL diffusion, which attests to the importance of effectiveness in policy implementation. In addition, more effective governments are more likely to provide information, and less likely to subsidise CFL. The results of this paper have important policy implications, given that little is known about how policies work in developing countries, where the greatest potential for cheap emissions abatement lies.

Keywords: Clean-energy technologies; CFL; Technological diffusion; Policy instruments; Developing countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D78 D83 F13 H30 O33 O38 Q48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: The light at the end of the tunnel: the impact of policy on the global diffusion of fluorescent lamps (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:128:y:2019:i:c:p:907-918

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.001

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