Fueling the Engines of Liberation with Cleaner Cooking Fuel

Tushar Bharati, Yiwei Qian and Jeonghwan Yun
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Yiwei Qian: Department of Economics, University of Southern California
Jeonghwan Yun: Department of Economics, University of Southern California

No 20-03, Economics Discussion / Working Papers from The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics

Abstract: Using the staggered rollout of the Indonesian “Conversion to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Program”, we show that a subsidy on the labor- and time-saving cook technology increased the female labor force participation. The program also increased household consumption expenditure and the decision-making power of women in the household, especially in financial matters. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the benefits of switching to LPG far outweighed the costs to the households. Based on previous research, we conjecture that intra-household externalities and gender differences in preferences drive low rates of adoption of the cost effective technology. The program’s impact on the financial decision-making power of women suggests that subsidies that empower women, even if temporary, can encourage the adoption and sustained use of beneficial technology.

Keywords: household technology; time saving; female labor; decision making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J22 O14 Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43
Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-hme, nep-lma and nep-sea
Note: MD5 = 5ac87c3e1669dd3a13f23d799473452e
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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